


Broken Mirror, Eternal Dream

by MiniSuga127



Category: GOT7, Stray Kids (Band), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Abraxas Academy is literally just Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Betrayals, Can't You See Me MV, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, It gets dark, Jaebum is mysterious, Jus2 makes an appearance, Kai is best boy, Magic island MV, Magical Creatures, Minor Character Death, Revenge, Run away MV, Skz magic detectives, Spirits, Stray Kids make an appearance, TXT are just adorable, TXT are wizards, The author is attempting to make this short, Yugyeom is..., alternate realms, this is me tryna make my theories into a story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24317788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniSuga127/pseuds/MiniSuga127
Summary: Kai didn't realize it but his life changed the minute he and his friends became the youngest team of wizards to win the Dream Olympics.He had always thought that their friendship was magical but will it stay intact when there's a darker sort of magic beneath the surface?
Comments: 65
Kudos: 39





	1. Prologue ~ Forever Together

**Author's Note:**

> The minute I saw the new MV my brain came up with this.  
> Hopefully it sounds more coherent on paper😅  
> PLZ VOTE FOR TXT U GUYS WE CAN DO THIS!  
> Also shout out to ChirpB for betaing this for me lol  
> CHECK OUT HER STUFF IS LIT  
> anyways I hope u stick around for this crackheaded journey!  
> Let's go!

_ I'm yours, you were mine... _

_ Secrets of the world… _

_ <>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<> _

_ Year 2014 _

Kai wasn't being arrogant or anything, but if he really thought about it, he had a  _ whole lot _ to brag about.

For one, at age 12, he was one of the youngest wizards attending Abraxas Academy. He was insanely smart, of course. Only the best attended the Academy.

He was everyone's favorite little angel. He didn't even have to try to make friends. It was like he was a people magnet or something. It was almost comical how he could even make the darkest expressions disappear with a simple smile.

Whoever had been the lucky receiver of said smile would be all over him in a second, asking how he was, what he was doing, if he wanted to be friends.

Kai always said yes to that last question. You could never have too many friends, he thought. Especially if all of them were absolutely entranced by him.

Well,  _ almost _ everyone…

He knew there was absolutely no fooling his four best friends in the entire world. They were completely immune to his charms. He'd always have to try extra hard to get his Hyungs to do things with him or for him.

But he knew that they'd always come around in the end. Despite what they liked to say, Kai knew that no one was ever  _ completely  _ immune.

And that was another thing he had bragging rights of.

His amazing best friends who had been there for him for so long he couldn't remember his life without them.

Yup, Kai was living his best life and he couldn't be happier.

Well, maybe he'd be a little happier if him and his friends made it into the Dream Olympics this year…

If they did, they'd officially be the youngest group of wizards to participate.

They'd already decided on a team name if they made it. Tomorrow X Together.

It perfectly described their group dynamic. No matter what was thrown their way, they were always together again the next day.

Everyone was mostly on board with the idea of participating but as the day came closer, they started getting anxious.

“Maybe we should drop out of the competition you guys…” His friend, Taehyun said as they walked the vast halls of the school.

“What?” Kai said incredulously, as he turned to face him. “How come, Hyung?”

“We're super young you guys. We don't even stand a chance against all the experienced groups!”

“Well, I mean…” Beomgyu said. “We're not  _ that _ much younger. As of right now, Jus2 is the youngest team and they've won first for the last two years now.”

“And Yugyeom is the younger one and he's only a year older than me.” Yeonjun voiced.

“That's true, he's only 16 and his brother, Jaebum is only two years older than him. Plus we have five people rather than two. I think we stand a pretty solid chance.” Soobin said.

“Besides, it doesn't matter if we don't win. It's just for fun Hyung!” Kai said, catching Taehyun's eyes and smiling brightly.

Taehyun only hesitated a few seconds before smiling back softly.

“Ok, guys… I guess I'm just nervous…”

“That's normal.” Soobin said.

“I mean, it is a pretty hard task this year…” Beomgyu said.

“What was it again?”

“Apparently, there's a secret magic island hidden in this very school…” Kai said, excitedly. “We'll have just 24 hours to find clues and figure out where it's at.”

“Do you think we can do it?” Taehyun asked.

“I  _ know _ we can…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ The Day of The Dream Olympics _

_ The First Clue _

_ 24 hours remaining… _

“Welcome one and all, to the 2014 Dream Olympics!”

The five boys stood silently in front of their classroom as the voice of their principal sounded on the overhead speaker.

Kai glanced down the hall at the countless teams that were lined up in front of their own classrooms. He didn't want to admit it, but he was slightly intimidated.

No, scratch that. He was  _ a lot _ intimidated.

Everyone here was so experienced. Sure, Kai and his team were among the youngest students at the prestigious academy. That  _ had _ to account for something, right?

But the question was how much was that going to help them in the long run?

Kai straightened up, deciding it was a bad idea to look at all the confident wizards. His eyes landed on the team standing just in front of them, across the hall.

It was Jus2, their competition.

Well, everyone was their competition technically, but Jus2 was the team they were trying to take over. They were aiming to take their title of youngest winner of the Olympics.

He blinked in surprise as one of the two met his curious gaze and smiled brightly.

Startled, Kai hesitantly smiled back.

“Yugyeom, pay attention.” The other boy hissed.

Yugyeom pouted, annoyed before smiling at Kai once more, then dropping his gaze.

“And lastly we have Tomorrow X Together! The newest and youngest addition to the Dream Olympics! Wishing all teams the best of luck!”

Kai held his breath as the principal said a few more words to previous winners and read out the rules.

No one was to hinder anyone's progress. This was solely based on skill and speed. The faster you found the island, the better your chances of winning.

No hints except the clues given by the school.

“Your time begins now! Best of luck! Begin!”

“Ok, you guys, let's go.” Soobin said, his voice tense as he turned around and opened the door to the classroom they were standing in front of.

“Go, go, go…” Kai muttered, herding the group into the classroom as he glanced over at all the other teams entering their own classrooms.

“Kai, get in here!”

Kai flinched, shaking his head and focusing back on the task at hand. He rushed into the classroom and shut the door behind him.

“Soobin Hyung, did you find anything?” He asked, noticing his eyes were glowing red as he searched the room for anything that was out of place.

“Ah! I found something!”

The boys followed as Soobin ran over to a specific desk and dug inside it, pulling out a pair of white glasses with red lenses.

“Ok…” Soobin muttered, putting the glasses on and turning in a slow circle, eyes panning over his surroundings.

“There's nothing. It needs to be enchanted…” He muttered.

“On it!” Beomgyu said, as he took the glasses from Soobin and shut his eyes for a second.

The glasses glowed brightly for a second before returning to normal.

“Here, try them now.” He said, handing them back to Soobin.

“Oh!” Soobin said, as he put them back on. “Here, look.”

He handed them back to Beomgyu, directing him to look at the whiteboard.

“There's a door drawn on it!”

“And it says, congratulations, you've found the first clue!” Soobin said, excitedly.

“That wasn't so hard.” Yeonjun said, sighing in relief.

“Ok, guys let's think about this…” Taehyun said, as he sat down on one of the desks.

“We're clearly off to a good start, I think. But it's about more than just magic. We need to be smart about this.”

“Right.” Kai said, taking a turn with the glasses.

“So I think we can assume that the door is the entrance to the magic island.” He said.

“Right, but there's so many doors in this school…” Yeonjun said.

“This one doesn't have a doorknob though… and it's black...” Kai said, handing Yeonjun the glasses. “So we know exactly what we're looking for. Hopefully the next clue gives us a hint about where to find it.”

“Ok, guys let's go!” Taehyun said, leading the way out of the classroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ The Third Clue _

_ 14 hours remaining… _

“So much for starting off well…” Kai muttered as the five boys trudged up the stairs to the highest floor.

“Why did anyone think it was a good idea to make this building so huge?” Yeonjun groaned in annoyance.

“Don't panic yet guys! We have a good amount of time!” Taehyun said.

“And  _ one clue! _ ” Beomgyu said, frustrated. “I bet  _ everyone's  _ figured out where to find it…”

“Not true…” Soobin said. “They would've announced it…”

“Ugh, whatever…” Yeonjun mumbled as they finally reached the top of the stairs.

“Let's just keep searching, you guys…” Beomgyu said, as he led the way into the nearest classroom.

The boys walked into the classroom, trying their best to find their fighting spirit again. Soobin glanced around the classroom again, eyes glowing as he searched the area.

“Oh, what's this?” Yeonjun said, suddenly, holding up another pair of glasses. 

These looked just like any other normal pair of glasses. Nothing mystical about them in the least.

“Hmm, I didn't pick it up with my vision…” Soobin muttered, eyes returning to normal.

“Maybe you're just getting old…” Yeonjun said, snickering as Soobin smacked his arm in irritation.

“Anyways, I did find  _ something _ . This actually has traces of magic on it…” Soobin said as he walked to the front of the classroom, grabbing a book that was set on the teacher's desk.

“It's got numbers on the front cover…” Taehyun muttered, as Soobin set the book down on a desk near them. 

“82 - 92?” Yeonjun said, confused. “It's obviously directing us to a page number, but… -10? Isn't a page number?”

“Maybe we count backwards…” Taehyun muttered, flipping the book over and turning ten pages quickly.

They all frowned in confusion upon seeing the page. There was a huge rectangle cut into the pages starting from where they stopped. 

“Wow, someone _ does not _ like this book…” Kai said.

“There's nothing on the pages. Maybe…” Soobin reached into his pocket, taking out the red glasses and putting them on.

“Nothing…”

“Or maybe…” Yeonjun lifted up the new pair he had found and put them on before squinting at the paper.

Nothing could've prepared them for what happened next when the pages suddenly burst into flames before their eyes.

The boys all gasped, moving away from the fire.

“Guys, move!” Beomgyu said, shoving them aside as he grabbed the fire extinguisher from the corner of the room and aimed at the fire.

Once the fire was out, everyone stood silently staring at the pages.

“Wow, that was insane…” Kai muttered.

They hesitantly moved closer to the book, confused when they saw that the page hadn't burned but instead had just turned black.

In the center of the rectangle were two white lines drawn next to each other.

“Parallel lines…” Taehyun muttered.

“Look here on the bottom!” Beomgyu said, pointing below the white lines. “Congratulations, you've found the final clue?”

“Didn't the rules say there were gonna be three?” Soobin wondered.

“Leave it to us to find the last one before the second…. Yeonjun said, dropping his head in his hands.

Taehyun didn't say anything just stared at the paper in intense concentration.

“The paper burned… To reveal parallel lines?” He muttered softly.

“What's going on in that big brain of yours, Hyung?” Kai asked.

“It's on the tip of my tongue…” Taehyun said. “Maybe I'll get it if we find the second clue?”

“Alright, let's get going then, you guys!” Soobin said, taking the book with him as he led them outside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ The Second Clue _

_ 10 hours remaining… _

“Why didn't we think to search here before?” Soobin wondered as the five boys wandered the vast library.

“This is the first place most teams would check…” Beomgyu muttered.

“I've found something that doesn't belong, you guys.” Soobin said suddenly as he led the way through the countless halls.

Stopping in front of a bookshelf, he tilted his head up to look at something the others couldn't see.

“I'm not tall enough to grab that…” He muttered.

“On it.” Kai said shortly as he lifted up a hand, casting a levitation spell on… Whatever Soobin had found.

He frowned as the… Thing… Came into view.

“A teddy bear?” He questioned as it landed in his hands.

“An ugly teddy bear…” Yeonjun said, shuddering at the pitiful, half burned toy.

“There's a paper tied to it.” Taehyun said, taking the stuffed toy and untying the paper.

The boys crowded around as Taehyun unfurled the small paper and read the words scrawled across it.

_ I eat as long as I live _

_ But die as soon as I drink _

_ What am I? _

_ Congratulations, you've found the second clue. _

Taehyun frowned in confusion.

“Do you know the answer?” Kai whispered.

Taehyun nodded but his confused expression only deepened.

“The answer is fire, but… It seems a little bit  _ too _ simple. I kinda expected it to be harder.”

He fell silent as he stared at the paper.

“What's even more confusing is that I know the answer but… I don't know what to make of it. I don't know how it connects to everything else.”

“Maybe we could keep searching? We should try to look for the door ourselves and maybe it'll come to us?”

Taehyun hummed thoughtfully, rolling up the paper once more and stuffing it in his pocket.

“Let's go.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ The Magic Island _

_ 2 hours remaining… _

“Beomgyu, wake up, we don't have time for this!” Taehyun said, pacing the room frantically.

“Sorry, but I don't have the stamina to stay up for 24 hours and not get some sort of rest…” Beomgyu said, drily.

“Neither do I! But we need to move!”

“Why?” Beomgyu muttered. “We've searched everywhere. We should just give up now…”

“There must be something we’re missing…” 

Soobin watched as Taehyun trailed off, his expression dropping as he realized this may be the end.

Soobin sighed and glanced at the boys who were nodding off.

“Alright everyone, gather around.” He said, sitting down on the floor and gesturing for them to move closer. “We’re not giving up yet, guys.”

“We only have 2 hours left Hyung…” Kai said, morosely.

“But so does everyone else. And that means no one has found it yet.”

“That’s true…” Beomgyu said slowly.

“We can still win, you guys.” Soobin said, pleadingly.

He looked at each of them in turn, smiling as they sighed in annoyance.

“Fine, I guess we can pull through in these last two hours…” Kai said.

“Yes, we can!” Taehyun said, excitedly.

“Let's try to decode this thing together…” Yeonjun said, leaning forward as Soobin put the book down and Taehyun took the paper out of his pocket.

“Ok, so first clue…” Soobin began. “Was the black door with a doorknob. We all agree that that's what we're looking for, yes?”

He glanced up to see everyone nodding in agreement.

“Ok, and the second clue was the burnt doll and the riddle. The doll was obviously to point us in the direction of fire, which is the answer to the riddle.”

Soobin paused, letting that sink in.

“And this is the third clue…” He said, opening the book to the blackened pages.

“This is where we're having trouble.” Soobin said.

“I don't know what this clue even means. Besides that, I can't figure out how to connect the clues.”

Kai tilted his head as he stared at the book, deep in thought.

“The book is the last clue…” He muttered, slowly. “So if we look at them one by one…”

He reached over and grabbed the book, ripping a white sheet of paper from it and pulling a pen out of his pocket.

He quickly drew a handle-less door on the paper, labelling it as  _ the first clue, the black door. _

“Ok….” He said, setting the clues up on the floor in order. 

First the drawing of the door, then the doll and riddle, then the book with parallel lines.

“Ok, so we know this is the door.” Kai said, pointing to his drawing.

“And the answer to this is fire…” Taehyun said, pointing to the riddle.

“Which is exactly what we encountered when we found the last clue!” Beomgyu finished, eyes widening.

“Exactly…” Kai said.

“But what does that mean…?” Soobin questioned.

“Hmm…” Kai said, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Now that I've drawn it out I just realized something…” He pointed to the book.

“What if we think of this as a representation of the door?” Kai said, gesturing to the black rectangle on the book.

Taehyun gasped softly.

“I think you might be right, Kai!” He said. “So we're gonna have to burn the door… That's my theory…”

“So we know what and how…” Yeonjun said. “We still don't know where.”

“That's where the parallel lines come in I'm assuming…” Soobin said.

“The lines appeared after the book caught fire…” Beomgyu said.

“I think I've got it!” Taehyun shouted, his face lighting up.

“Parallel means they'll never meet! Meaning that they're opposites of each other. So I think we'll find it near the swimming pool! Because water is the parallel of fire!”

“Yes!” Kai said, leaping off the floor. “But quiet down Hyung. Someone else might hear us…”

“Ah right…”

“Anyways, we have a lead now, so let's get going!”

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

“Guys, I think someone's following us…” Beomgyu said, glancing behind himself worriedly.

“We don't have time to worry about that right now….” Yeonjun said, gently pushing him to the front.

“We're almost there you guys. Soobin Hyung sees something…” Kai said.

“Imagine if someone else was just as good at sensing magic…” Soobin muttered, as they finally reached the swimming pool.

“We have an advantage. It's a good thing you're the top of that class…” Taehyun said.

“Um, you guys?” Soobin said suddenly as he stopped right in front of the swimming pool.

“Yes?” Taehyun asked.

“There's something down there.” He said, pointing down into the swimming pool. “It's not our door, but I think that's where we have to go.”

“What exactly is down there?” Beomgyu asked, crouching down and running a hand over the water.

“It's like a trapdoor kind of thing…” Soobin said.

“Wouldn't the water pressure make it hard for us to open it?” Yeonjun asked.

“Ah, don't worry about that, I got it!” Kai said, suddenly diving into the water fully clothed.

“Hey!” Soobin yelped in surprise.

Kai resurfaced, his face bright and happy.

“Let's all go to the bottom! I'll move the water once we get there.”

“I am  _ not _ jumping in there like that…” Taehyun said.

“Aw come on!” Kai proceeded to pout deeply, staring at everyone with puppy eyes.

“Can't say no to the baby.” Yeonjun said, immediately jumping into the water.

Soobin simply smiled and jumped in after Yeonjun.

Beomgyu shot Taehyun a look, grinning in amusement.

“Hyungs are so whipped for Kai.” 

“Unfortunately, all of us are…” Taehyun said, sighing in defeat. “You owe me ice cream over the summer Kai…”

“I'll take you  _ all  _ out for ice cream when we win this thing!” Kai said, throwing his hands up in excitement.

“Let's do it then!” Beomgyu said, stepping into the pool and glancing over at Taehyun expectantly.

Taehyun sighed once more before stepping into the water and shivering as the cold hit him.

“Yikes, you owe me  _ so much  _ ice cream, Kai…”

Kai simply laughed before going back under.

The others followed him all the way down, making it to the trapdoor in a few seconds. Kai gestured for everyone to move back a little.

Once everyone had given him space, Kai lifted a hand high above his head and waited several seconds before suddenly clenching his fist tightly.

The boys all barely held back a gasp as all the water was suddenly pushed aside as if repelled by Kai. 

Their feet hit the ground softly as Kai kept his fist raised.

Yeonjun quickly pulled the door open, all the boys dropping down to the floor below. Kai came last and waited until the door was shut before dropping his hand.

“Whew, that was fun…” Kai said, as the boys turned their attention back to what was in front of them.

Soobin frowned as he looked around, his eyes glowing red.

“Wow… Who would've thought the trapdoor led to a… Forest?” Yeonjun asked, as he stared around at the trees and bushes surrounding them.

“Who would've thought that there was even a trapdoor in the first place?” Beomgyu said.

“Do you see anything?” Taehyun asked Soobin.

“It's this way…” He said, pointing straight ahead.

“Come on, guys. We're so close!” Taehyun said, smiling as he waved the others forward.

They all trekked through the foliage in an awed silence, not able to believe that they were almost there.

Finally, they ended up in a large clearing and there, in front of them, was a white door so huge it dwarfed all the trees around it.

“Oh my God…” Soobin muttered, his eyes going back to normal.

“It's huge…” Kai said, eyes wide.

“Hyung, quick! Use your glasses!” Taehyun said, shaking Yeonjun by the shoulder.

“Oh, right…” Yeonjun said, shaking himself out of his stupor and putting on the glasses.

He lifted his eyes back up to face to the door, breath catching in his throat as it suddenly burst into flames before his eyes.

They stood there watching wide eyed, as the flames died down slowly, revealing the door still intact but completely black.

The door had creaked open slightly and the boys ran over without a word.

“Come on, guys….” Soobin whispered as he moved past the door.

If there had been any doubt that they hadn't found the island, it was immediately forgotten as they walked into what could only be described as a magical dream.

As they walked through the forest, they couldn't help but marvel at the small creatures flying around or jumping through the grass. They couldn't help but notice how everything seemed to be shimmering in the soft light.

It wasn't even an actual island, but the calmness they felt really made it feel like they were disconnected from the rest of the world as they wandered the metaphorical island.

“Guys, this is insane…” Beomgyu breathed.

“I finally understand the meaning of ‘I can't believe my eyes’...” Kai said.

They walked for what seemed like hours but was actually just a few minutes, finally making it to another clearing of sorts, a single telescope standing alone in the middle of it all.

A small fairy like creature stood on top of it, smiling widely at the boys as they drew nearer.

“Congratulations…” The creature squeaked.

The boys held their breaths as the creature flew towards them, hovering in front of them.

“You've found the magic island.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next few weeks were the best sort of chaos for the boys. They were almost constantly surrounded by several people at once, retelling all their experiences and how it felt to be the youngest to ever win, how it felt to win at their first attempt.

It was all a bit overwhelming, even for someone like Kai who was used to a lot of attention.

But still, they enjoyed themselves while it lasted. It was tiring though and Kai wondered if he would be able to do it again.

He could only imagine how Jus2 had felt, having to deal with the crowds two years in a row.

Jus2 had been just behind them, as Soobin found out later on. They had congratulated them just like everyone else, but Kai noticed they didn't keep coming back like the other teams did.

He guessed they didn't feel the need to. They had been in their position once.

To sum it all up, Kai couldn't deny that the Dream Olympics had been an amazing experience. And having his friends there with him made it so much more magical.

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

_ Like magic... _

_ Our eternal promise... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely hope this au will be shorter than my current txt au😅
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	2. I Miss You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey kids!🙃  
> Studio Choom and studio k was a ride🤣💜

_Together together…_

_ <>\<>\<>\<>\<><>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<> _

_Year 2020_

_2 weeks before the reunion_

Kai sighed as he rang the doorbell to Yeonjun’s house for the third time. He'd been standing outside his house for more than five minutes by now and knowing Yeonjun, he was probably still asleep or talking to his insufferable mom on the phone.

Kai guessed the latter, since he knew that Yeonjun wouldn't be so irresponsible to be asleep when he had invited Kai and Beomgyu over to his house.

Sighing once more, Kai turned, leaning his back against the door and staring out into the neighborhood.

It had been a year and Kai still wasn't used to living in America. He didn't think he'd ever be.

It wasn't a bad place. The people were nice, the food was nice. The school, Solstice Institute of Mystical Arts, wasn't bad either, second only to Abraxas Academy of course.

But he missed Abraxas. There were so many things he missed from Seoul.

Most of all, he missed Soobin and Taehyun.

He wished the three of them never had to move to America, leaving the other two behind.

But their families all lived here and just a year ago, they all had family situations come up.

While Kai and Beomgyu’s situations had been cleared up and they were free to go back, Yeonjun's mother had basically forced the boy into staying where she could keep an eye on him.

Kai and Beomgyu didn't have the heart to leave him behind and so they had stayed.

Soobin and Taehyun had each other after all.

The door opened behind him, shaking Kai out of his thoughts. He turned to see Yeonjun, a nervous smile on his face as he ran a hand through his bright yellow hair.

“Hey, sorry about that…” He muttered. “Is Beomgyu with you?”

“Nah, he's running a little late.” Kai said, stepping inside and turning back to him once he'd closed the door.

“Was it your mom?” He asked.

Yeonjun flinched, dropping his eyes.

“Ah, ya…” He said shortly. 

“I asked Beomgyu to bring the snacks.” Kai said, steering clear of the topic. 

He really shouldn't even have asked. Yeonjun's mom was always bothering him about one thing or another. The only respite he ever got was when his friends came over.

Yeonjun led Kai into the living room and sat down on the couch with him.

“So, Kai….” Yeonjun said, turning to him and smiling. “What have you been up to? Are you excited about finally graduating?”

“Oh yeah!” Kai said, laughing. 

He was super excited to finally be graduating. It would've been cooler if he could've graduated from Abraxas but…

“The graduation is happening sometime this coming week. And then we can get ready to visit Seoul!” Kai said.

“Ah, yeah…” Yeonjun said. “Seoul… It's been a year hasn't it?”

Kai nodded.

“We could-”

Right at that moment, Yeonjun's phone began to buzz. He glanced down at it and winced.

“I'm so sorry…” He said, looking up at Kai apologetically. “I gotta take this…”

Kai nodded, assuming it was his mom again. As Yeonjun rose from the couch, Kai caught sight of something on the small side table next to the couch.

He squinted, not quite sure if it was what he thought it was.

“Hey, is that…?”

Yeonjun turned at Kai's question, glancing down at the pair of glasses he was pointing at.

“Oh, yeah…” Yeonjun said, smiling. “From the Dream Olympics. The first one.”

He picked them up and tossed them to Kai.

“Here.” He said shortly, before exiting the room to deal with his mom.

Kai sat back, turning the glasses this way and that. He grinned, thinking of putting them on and seeing if they still set things on fire.

He knew they didn't though. The magic had only been for that night.

That didn't stop Kai from trying it out though, setting the glasses on his nose and staring daggers at Yeonjun's fireplace.

Sighing, he took them off and began pacing the room.

He ended up near the fireplace at some point, staring at the pictures and trophies set up on the mantle.

He crept closer, knowing exactly who those trophies belonged to.

Pausing to read the words displayed on the trophies, he couldn't help but grin.

_Tomorrow X Together_

_2014 Dream Olympics_

_Tomorrow X Together_

_2015 Dream Olympics_

_Tomorrow X Together_

_2017 Dream Olympics_

_Tomorrow X Together_

_2018 Dream Olympics_

How they managed to win that many times was beyond Kai. He frowned slightly, staring at the space between 2015 and 2017.

He had no doubt they'd be able to win 2016 too, had they been able to participate.

They had been on their way to the Olympics, when they got into a terrible car crash in the middle of nowhere.

When no one could find them, they started the Olympics without them.

They'd woken up a week later in the hospital and were told what had happened. They'd had an accident and had been in a coma for a week.

None of the boys actually remembered what happened on that day, but chose to believe what the doctors had told them.

A team called ATEEZ had won that year. And while Kai was happy for that team, he kinda wished Jus2 had won instead.

Over the years, they had become good friends with Yugyeom and Jaebum, the two being super helpful and supportive every year when TXT decided to participate in the Olympics.

Yugyeom had voiced the fact that he wished the two of them could win once more before he graduated. TXT had sympathized but ultimately decided not to go easy on anyone.

Now Kai wished that they did.

In 2018, when TXT had won their last Dream Olympics together, they'd gotten a call that same day informing them that Yugyeom had died in a house fire.

Jaebum didn't talk to them for a long time after that. He still didn't talk to the three of them and Kai had no idea if he still talked to Soobin and Taehyun.

At the end of the mantle, he spotted a small photo album. Picking it up, he went back to the couch and sat down, flipping through the pages.

He grinned when he landed on a picture from 2014. It was a picture of them on the magic island after they'd won.

Yeonjun had written a few words on the bottom of the page, the letters melding into each other in his excitement.

_2014 Dream Olympics_

_I can't believe we won!_

_Maybe we'll try again next year?_

_I love this place, we should come every year!_

He flipped the pages, finding a similar picture from 2015.

_2015 Dream Olympics!_

_We won again?!_

_We've made it a tradition to come to the island every year now!_

There were a few pictures from a beach trip they'd all taken that same year.

_Beomie’s birthday!_

_This is fun but the island is better!_

There was even an island picture from 2016. They always went to the island before and after the competition. 

_Will we win this time?_

_Three times in a row?!_

_I sure hope so!_

Kai's eyes caught onto the smiling faces of Soobin and Taehyun. He couldn't help the surge of longing and guilt.

The two of them had participated in the 2019 Olympics alone and won. So technically, on paper, TXT had won 5 times but it wasn't the same. He felt bad for the two, unable to imagine how it must have felt to compete without them.

It must have been pretty bad, because they weren't on the list of participants this year.

When the three of them had moved, they'd promised to keep in touch, but it had almost been a year and they'd barely communicated.

The three of them were planning a trip to Seoul in a week though, and Kai could only hope it would make up for the lost time.

The doorbell rang suddenly, making Kai turn his attention towards the door.

That must be Beomgyu, he thought.

Deciding to spare his Hyung the wait, Kai got up and walked over to the door.

He opened it, smiling to see an excited Beomgyu standing there, his hands weighed down with bags of snacks.

“Hey, Kai!” He said cheerfully, giving him an awkward hug.

“Hey Hyung.” Kai said, giggling as he moved away and took some of the bags from him.

The two came inside and set the bags down on the counter.

“Hey where's Hyung?” Beomgyu asked.

“He's on the phone right now…”

“Oh yikes…” Beomgyu glanced over at Kai, a grimace on his face. “ Is it his mom?”

“He didn't say, but I'm assuming it is from the way he reacted.”

“Poor guy…” Beomgyu muttered as the two made their way to the living room. “When did you get here?”

“Not too long ago.” Kai replied. “Maybe just like… 10 minutes before you?”

“Ah, I see. What were you doing?”

“I found this little photo album. Check it out.”

The two sat down on the couch, side by side. Kai handed over the photo album and watched as Beomgyu flipped through the pages.

“Oof, do you remember how I nearly drowned on this trip?” Beomgyu asked, turning to face Kai as he pointed to the beach trip picture.

“Yes! You're so silly Hyung. How could you forget that you could teleport yourself out?”

“Hey, I was panicking, ok?!” Beomgyu said in his defense.

“But it's ok, Soobin Hyung managed to pull you out. And scolded you right after for scaring him like that…”

“Ya, I remember…” Beomgyu said, laughing slightly. “I can't wait to see them again…” He said, eyes fixated on Soobin and Taehyun’s smiling faces.

Kai didn't respond, staring thoughtfully at the picture Beomgyu was looking at.

“Did Hyung already tell Soobin about our plans? We're staying at his place that week right?” Beomgyu asked.

“Mhmm… He told him this morning.” Kai replied.

“What did he say?” 

“What did who say?”

The boys turned to see that Yeonjun had returned, his face drawn into a tired expression.

“And hi, by the way…” He said, waving at Beomgyu.

“Hey, Hyung!” Beomgyu said, smiling brightly for his Hyung’s sake.

“We were just talking about how you told Soobin Hyung about our plan.” Kai said.

“I was wondering how he reacted to the news.” Beomgyu explained.

“Ah well…” Yeonjun muttered, settling down on the couch with them.

“He was surprised of course. He said he thought it was a great idea. He sounded super excited. He said something along the lines of how it had been so long he'd almost forgotten what my voice sounded like. He also said sorry they couldn't keep in touch that much.”

“I'm so excited though, Hyung.” Beomgyu said, his eyes bright.

“So am I.” Yeonjun said, grinning.

“I wish I could be excited.” Kai said, dropping his gaze. “I'm actually kinda nervous. What if it's awkward and weird? What if they're mad at us for not keeping in touch?”

“Hey, it's not our fault, ok?” Beomgyu said, placing a comforting hand on Kai's arm.

“None of us reached out. I'm sure everyone was busy with their own thing. Now that our lives have settled down a bit, we'll try harder to stay in touch after this trip, ok?”

“Couldn't have said it better.” Yeonjun agreed. “Just don't worry about it and try to have fun, ok?”

“Ah, ok Hyungs…” Kai said, trailing off and trying to smile for his Hyungs.

But no matter what they said and how much he tried to imagine the perfect reunion, he couldn't help but feel it would end in disaster.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Soobin turned his head as he heard an impatient knock at his front door.

He glanced at the clock and frowned. 2:05.

“Ah, that must be Taehyun…” He muttered, quickly leaving the kitchen and rushing to the door.

“Yah, open up Hyung!”

Soobin rolled his eyes as he heard the muffled voice confirming his suspicions. He finally reached the door and opened it slightly, only to be pushed aside by the red headed boy.

“Aish, so impatient, this one…” Soobin muttered under his breath as he shut the door.

“Hey, I heard that! You're just slow, Hyung!” Taehyun said, a teasing grin on his face.

“And you're just a brat.” Soobin said, messing up the boy's hair.

Taehyun let out a small scream, quickly moving out of the way.

Soobin smiled widely, before walking back into the kitchen.

“So, Hyung…” Taehyun said, following him into the kitchen and leaning against the counter.

“Are you as excited as I am? What exactly did Yeonjun Hyung say?”

“Well, he said they'll be here for a week and that they'd be staying at my place. I'm honestly so excited. I have no idea what to expect.”

“Neither do I. I've missed them so much. This'll be a great opportunity to catch up.”

“Ya it really will.” Soobin agreed. “He also said they'd be making a stop at the bakery near your place first. So maybe you could meet them there and then bring them here?”

“Will do, Hyung!” Taehyun said, flashing him a thumbs up. 

“Make sure to get the best stuff, ok?” 

“Alright Hyung.” Taehyun said, laughing slightly.

“Anyways…” Soobin said, meeting his eyes, his voice suddenly becoming serious. “Tell me why you're late.”

“What?” Taehyun asked, frowning. “I told you I'd come at 2…?”

“Exactly. Then why did you come at 2:05?”

Taehyun laughed, dropping his head in his hands.

“Are you seriously asking why I'm five minutes late?” He asked, incredulously.

Soobin nodded, his expression still serious.

“Kang Taehyun is never late without a reason.”

“Hm, you're right about that.” Taehyun said, lifting his head. “Well, Jaebum Hyung dropped by. He wants me to take care of his cat for the next two weeks. He's got some business trip.”

Soobin frowned.

“What? But you're gonna be at my place all of next week?”

“I tried telling him but he said it doesn't matter if I left her alone.”

“Then why not just leave the cat alone at his place?”

“Ah well…” Taehyun said, sighing. “He's a little paranoid that someone's gonna break into his house and that his cat will either get hurt or wander outside and get lost. His neighborhood is a bit dangerous apparently so that's why.”

“Ah , I see…” Soobin said, humming thoughtfully.

“Ya. He seemed pretty serious. He said something like I'm trusting you with her life. Make sure nothing happens to Iris.”

“Iris… That's the cat's name?”

“Ya, and for good reason. She's got one blue eye and one green eye. It's quite unsettling. She just kept staring at me when Jaebum was explaining. The fact that she's a black cat just makes it creepier.”

Soobin laughed at that.

“Well, I guess it's good that he trusts you like that…”

“Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? We're friends.” Taehyun said.

“Ya, I know… It's just… After Yugyeom…”

“You know that was 2 years ago Hyung. He doesn't blame us.”

“But he _did._ ” Soobin said. “I know he's apologized since then and that he's said he doesn't hate us anymore and that he cares for us but…”

“But?”

“I don't know… Sometimes I feel like he still hates us… It's weird but… I don't know why I feel that way…”

“It was a normal reaction for him to blame us, Hyung.” Taehyun said. “All Yugyeom ever wanted was to win once more because he felt that he wasn't doing enough. He wanted to be the one to win for his Hyung. It isn't our fault that we won and that they lost. Jaebum may have felt that way in the beginning but that was just because emotions were high. Now we've all moved on from that and he realizes that no one is at fault.”

“I know all that…” Soobin sighed. “I guess it's just taking a little longer for me to move on. Thanks for your speech though.”

“Why?” Taehyun asked, grinning. “Bored you enough to stop talking about it?”

“Pretty much.” Soobin confirmed, smiling back.

“Now…” He said, rubbing his palms together in excitement. “Let's make plans.”

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

_We forever forever, you know…_

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes we made a 6 year jump...  
> It's better than the 7 year jump in my first txt fic😅😅
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	3. The Dream Realm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My boys won again today!😃👍

_ My friends don't understand me, no… _

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_ The day of the reunion _

“Thanks for helping me clean this place.” Soobin said, sighing as he slumped down into the couch.

“No problem, Hyung.” Taehyun responded, sitting across from him. “Let's just hope it stays that way.”

“I'm sure it will.” Soobin said, smiling. “Anyways, you seem a little off today. Is everything ok?”

Taehyun sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I guess… I'm just a little nervous, you know.” Taehyun looked like he was holding something back. “And also… I got a call from Kai the other day…”

“Oh?” Soobin asked, raising an eyebrow. “What did he say?”

“Well…” Taehyun began. “He seemed kinda… Um how should I put this… Jealous? In a way? He kept talking about how we won 2019 without them and… I don't know, maybe that wasn't his intent, but… It seemed like he was almost angry with us.”

“Really?” 

For some reason, Soobin was inclined to believe him. In fact, he often thought that the fact that they decided to participate without them might become a problem in their friendship later on. Of course, they never really talked, so it never got in the way. There was no relationship to get in the way of.

But now that they were coming, and with full knowledge of how they had competed without them, Soobin realized how it could pose a problem.

The Dream Olympics had once strengthened their friendship and was a big part of it.

But it was still quite possible it could cause a rift to form within the relationship.

“Ya, he kept asking how it felt without them… It just gave me weird vibes. Like he was jealous or something…”

“Well, I'd hate to doubt your instincts. You're rarely ever wrong.”

“Ya… The others might share his feelings so I guess… It won't be what we expected…”

“Oh, well…” Soobin said. “Just tread lightly I guess?”

“Ya, I guess. Anyways, when are they coming again?”

“We still have a couple hours before they stop at that bakery.” Soobin replied.

“Ah, ok…” Taehyun said, standing and walking to the kitchen. “Oh, by the way, did you see the news today?”

“Hm? No. Why?” Soobin asked, following him.

Taehyun scrolled through his phone and once he found what he was looking for, he turned it so Soobin could see.

_ Yet Another Attempt to Open The Dream Realm Gone Wrong _

_ 2 Severely Injured _

“What?” Soobin muttered. “I don't know enough about that to fully understand.”

“The Dream Realm, bro! It's all everyone ever talked about at Abraxas!” Taehyun said, incredulously. “The Dream Realm… It's where spirits and ghosts supposedly live. You can only open it with dark magic or if you have an intense desire to get out of a situation.”

“Oh,  _ that! _ ” Soobin said, his face lighting up. “Does the article say how they attempted to access it?”

“They jumped from a building. When they realized it wasn't happening, they tried cushioning their fall with their own magic. They didn't die, but…”

“Wow…” Soobin said, shaking his head. “I can't believe people still think that actually exists…”

Taehyun hummed in response but didn't say anything.

“What? Don't tell me you actually believe in the myth too?” Soobin asked in disbelief.

“I mean… There was that case a few years ago…”

“That group of kids who opened it? You believe that happened?” 

“Well, you know that group of magic detectives… What are they called? Stray Kids I think?”

“The ones that found us in 2016 when we had that accident. What about them?” Soobin asked.

“They're pretty trustworthy apparently and they were in the news. They apparently had to get those kids out of the Dream Realm.” Taehyun explained.

“And  _ that's _ why you think it's real?” Soobin asked, unimpressed.

“I mean, ya? I just thought it might be cool for the five of us to try and open it. I mean, I'm not being arrogant or anything, but if anyone were to actually succeed in opening it, it would be us.”

“What?! We are  _ not _ jumping off a building, Kang Taehyun!” Soobin said, shocked that he could even suggest such a thing.

“ _ No, _ Hyung, of course not! How could you doubt my intelligence like that?”

“So what? You're planning on using dark magic instead?”

“Yeah? It shouldn't be too hard. And we'll be super careful. It's just for fun!”

“Taehyun…” Soobin was staring at him, his eyes wide in disbelief. “Are you hearing yourself right now? Why would you ever wanna try that?”

“I- I think you're overreacting Hyung. It's not like I'm going rogue or something. It was just a suggestion, jeez….” Taehyun said, dropping his gaze guiltily.

Soobin paused, realizing that Taehyun might be right and that he just overreacted.

He walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, I'm sorry. I guess my words were a little harsh. But I just…” Soobin sighed as the boy looked up at him. “I know we've all indirectly used dark magic before. I mean, everything in the Dream Olympics had some traces of dark magic. And I know you're super smart and all and that you'd probably be super careful about it but…”

“But?”

“I don't know… Dark magic just makes me kinda uncomfortable. Besides, I don't even believe that the Realm exists and I'm not too keen on finding out if I'm right or wrong.”

Taehyun smiled hesitantly.

“It's ok, Hyung. You're entitled to your own opinions. It was a bad idea anyways…” He muttered.

Normally, Soobin would immediately deny anything of the sort, saying that Taehyun's ideas were always amazing, but he didn't really think that was the best thing to say at the moment.

“Anyways….” He said, heaving a sigh. “I have to go grab a few things from the store. Do you think you can stay here alone for a bit?”

Taehyun nodded right away.

“Of course, Hyung. I have to leave to get the boys in a bit anyways.”

Soobin nodded wordlessly.

“Alrighty then, Tae…. I'll see you later.”

And with that, Taehyun was left alone in the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as Soobin was out of the house, Taehyun sighed heavily, falling into the couch near him.

Now that it was quiet and he had a chance to think about what had just transpired, he realized that Soobin was right.

Trying to open the Dream Realm had been an outrageous idea.

Come to think of it, Taehyun honestly had no idea why such a thought even came to his head.

Taehyun winced as his head suddenly twinged in pain.

_ Ah, not this again… _

He had been having a strange headache for a few days now. He couldn't exactly remember when it had started, only that it was very on and off, making his mind feel fuzzy and sluggish at times and normal and clear at other times when it decided to leave him alone.

He'd gone to the doctor to see if there was a cause, only to leave the office even more troubled than when he had entered.

Apparently, after scanning his head, the confused doctor had informed him that his brain was displaying none of the symptoms of any sort of headache. Everything seemed to be in place.

Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present, his eyes landing on a large glass cabinet Soobin kept for displaying purposes.

There were many awards that he had earned in his school years. Taehyun's eyes travelled up the shelves, landing on one that wasn't filled to the brim with trophies and medals.

On the highest shelf stood one lone trophy. It was so high, one would have to tilt their head and squint to see the words on the bottom.

But Taehyun didn't need to. He knew well enough what that trophy was for.

It was the one him and Soobin had won in 2019. Just the two of them.

Kai was jealous of them…

So were the others…

At least that's what it had sounded like.

Taehyun frowned. 

They had no right to be jealous.

Soobin and Taehyun had won that award fair and square.

It was theirs, despite the fact that, on paper, it was TXT’s.

He remembered that day. The day the two of them had won.

It didn't feel right to do it without them, but…

Taehyun doubted they would be able to win with the other three.

The 2019 Dream Olympics had been a treacherous experience. The challenges were more advanced, dark magic at every turn.

Soobin and Taehyun had braved all those challenges. Had even used dark magic to their advantage.

Which brought him to the question…

Why was Soobin so hesitant about the Dream Realm? Surely it couldn't be that bad.

Taehyun sighed, running a hand through his hair. His headache still wasn't letting up. He vaguely wondered how long he would have to wait for it to run its course and leave him alone.

Closing his eyes, he sighed again, his thoughts drifting back to the Dream Realm.

Soobin wasn't convinced.

Kai was jealous of them so he probably shouldn't try to convince him.

If Yeonjun was anything like he had been a year ago, he'd probably agree with Soobin.

Beomgyu… Maybe Beomgyu would…?

Taehyun shook his head. He didn't wanna drag Beomgyu into this in case something really did go wrong.

So he should probably try it on his own…

Taehyun frowned as his mind started going fuzzy.

Wait…

Why did he want to do this again…?

There was… A reason… Right?

He just… Couldn't remember…

Taehyun shook his head to try and clear it.

He was just curious.

It would just be another thing to cross off the list.

Another thing he could brag about.

No, no, Kang Taehyun didn't brag. He didn't like to show off that he could do things.

Another thing he could claim to have done.

Another first… He'd been the first in the Dream Olympics…

The youngest team.

He could be the youngest to open the Dream Realm. The  _ only _ person in recorded history to have done it.

Taehyun frowned. His thoughts were going crazy and he couldn't exactly remember what he had been thinking about. He let out a groan of frustration, dropping his head in his hands.

What was he…

Oh right, the Realm…

He had to open it.

He knew how. He didn't know how he knew but he did.

As if in a trance, he stood up, going up the stairs slowly. He didn't exactly know where he was going, but his legs seemed to know.

The world tilted slightly as his head throbbed. He really hoped this would go away soon. He didn't want it to ruin his day with his friends.

He blinked, shaking his head. He was standing in the guest room, facing the mirror.

What was he doing here again?

Ah right, the Realm…

He knew what to do.

He grinned slightly. This would be fun. He could tell his friends all about it later.

Stepping forward, he placed his left palm flat against the mirror and made eye contact with his own reflection.

There was something else that needed to be done… Oh yes, the incantations…

What were they again?

Taehyun frowned in concentration as he racked his brain for the incantations. They were in a different language… Latin? He couldn't remember, but that didn't matter right now.

Locking his eyes with his reflection, he waited only a second before shouting the incantations with all his might.

_ “Enter clade, enter malum!” _

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_ Friends don't understand me anymore more... _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter clade, enter malum...  
> What could that mean...?🤔
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	4. Sparks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Another chapter for y'all!

_ Blooming under the starlight… _

_ Our Scintilla… _

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Taehyun blinked a few times as his vision suddenly went blurry. Stumbling backwards, he held his head in both hands, shutting his eyes tightly.

The room went dark suddenly, so dark that he could tell even with his eyes closed.

He didn't know how long he stood there doubled over like that, but eventually the heavy silence made him look up.

He hardly drew a breath, eyes wide as he stared around at the room.

Everything seemed to be in order.

His vision was back to normal.

His head didn't feel like it was destroying itself from the inside out.

Holding his breath, he locked eyes with his reflection. 

Nothing. Just a small Kang Taehyun staring back at him.

“Well, then…” He muttered to himself.

He frowned slightly.

What was he doing here again?

Ah right, the Dream Realm…

Well, it hadn't worked apparently.

Soobin must have been right.

Shaking his head, he quickly left the room, trying to forget about the Realm entirely. It had been a terrible idea. Soobin was right. He shouldn't even have tried.

Still, he smiled slightly in relief. At least the thought wouldn't bother him anymore.

He grabbed his phone from the kitchen, glancing at the time.

The boys should be at the bakery by now.

Without a second thought about the Realm, he grabbed his keys and left the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taehyun parked his car some distance away from the bakery and started walking the rest of the way.

The boys spotted him before he did, his eyes rooted to the ground when he suddenly heard someone call his name.

“Taehyunnie! Over here!”

Taehyun lifted his eyes, smiling brightly as he saw the three boys crowded in front of the bakery. He waved excitedly, running to catch up.

“Yeonjun Hyung? Wow, your hair…” Taehyun said, trailing off as he stopped in front of them, transfixed by his Hyung's bright yellow hair.

“Yours too!” Yeonjun said, quickly wrapping the smaller boy in a hug.

“The red really suits you, Tae!” Beomgyu said.

“Beom, Kai! I missed you guys!” Taehyun said, bringing the others in for a hug as well.

The four boys stayed wrapped in the hug for a few seconds, before pulling apart and smiling widely.

“I'm so excited for this Hyung!” Kai practically squealed. “You look so different with your hair.”

“You look different too! You're such a big boy now!” Taehyun said, teasingly.

“Kai? A big boy?” Beomgyu said, laughing. “He's still a baby to us, but I can see how he would look different to you.”

“Ah, yeah…” Taehyun said. “Anyways who told Yeonjun it was a good idea to become a banana.”

The boys laughed as they made their way inside.

“We've always called him a lemon, but banana works too I guess.” Beomgyu said.

“I thought it was outrageous when I first saw it.” Kai admitted.

“I think Taehyun's red is more outrageous, to be honest.” Yeonjun piped up.

“Actually, I agree with that.” Beomgyu said. “But then again, I always liked Yeonjun's hair.”

“I think the red is more shocking to be honest. That and I never really expected Taehyun to dye his hair.” Kai said.

“Hm?” Taehyun turned his head to the younger. “How come?”

Kai shrugged.

“You just never seemed like the type to do that.”

“But of course…” Beomgyu said. “It's been a year and people change.”

“True, true…” Taehyun said, although on the inside he really didn't think he'd changed much.

“Anyways…” Yeonjun said, turning to the display of sweets set up in the front of the bakery.

“Let's get these…” He said with a small giggle, pointing at the lemon cakes.

“Aww, Hyungie really likes lemons that much.” Kai said, laughing as he patted Yeonjun's hair.

Yeonjun just giggled some more, glancing at Kai fondly.

Taehyun smiled at the exchange but frowned slightly.

“Are you sure you want that? They're not very good…” Taehyun said.

Him and Soobin had personal experience with those and they really weren't the best.

Yeonjun shrugged.

“I love them though. Maybe I'll like them?”

“Alrighty then.” Taehyun said.

He wasn't going to argue with that. People were different after all and while he wanted his friends to have the best, he also thought it was better to let them do whatever they wanted.

“And we'll get that little strawberry shortcake over there for Kai.” Beomgyu said.

“Oh yes! Thanks Hyung. You remembered!” Kai said, giving him a small hug.

“Of course I did!” Beomgyu said, smiling brightly. “Strawberries are basically the only thing you eat!”

“I'm pretty sure you ate all the strawberries in my fridge before we left.” Yeonjun piped up.

Kai just laughed and said, “I guess we'll just have to see when we get back…”

“Anyways…” Beomgyu said, observing all the other sweets. “Let's skip the brownies…”

“Hm? The brownies are the best though…” Taehyun said.

“But brownies are so ordinary, Tae… So basic… Let's get these instead!” He said, excitedly pointing at the truffles and cake pops.

“Hmm, alright…” Taehyun gave in.

Taehyun didn't really care what they ate at the end of the day. This was all about having a great time with his friends.

As they purchased the sweets and walked back to Taehyun’s car, he decided that there was nothing to worry about.

His friends didn't seem like they were annoyed or jealous in any way. It had just been his imagination.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yeonjun sped forward as Taehyun's car came into view. He laughed at the sounds of protests coming from behind him.

“Try and catch up, you guys!” He shouted.

“No fair, Hyung! I know what you're going to do!” Beomgyu said.

Yeonjun laughed and stopped halfway there.

“Ok, ok I promise, I won't do that!” He said, holding up his pinkie to show his promise.

He glanced over at Taehyun who was looking very confused. Of course, he wouldn't know about their little inside joke but that was ok.

Yeonjun was only doing this for the sole purpose of letting him in on their little joke with a demonstration rather than telling him.

“Alright then, you better not, Hyung!” Kai said.

“I won't, I won't!” Yeonjun said, laughing as he crossed his fingers behind his back.

Just as the two boys started running towards him in an attempt to get to the car first, Yeonjun closed his eyes and effortlessly transported himself right next to the car.

“Hyuuung!” Kai whined as he made it to the car a second late.

“Ugh, I knew it, but I read his mind a little late.” Beomgyu muttered, coming to stand next to Kai.

Yeonjun glanced over at Taehyun, a smile on his face as he saw the boy ambling over to them, laughing all the way.

“I had a feeling, Hyung.” He said as he made it to the car.

“It’s fun to tease them.” Yeonjun said.

“It really is.” Taehyun said. “I'm assuming you do that to them a lot?”

“ _ Yes! _ ” Kai responds. “We can never have a fair race with this guy…”

“He's like a little kid.” Beomgyu said, shaking his head.

“But y'all love me!” Yeonjun said, grinning. 

Kai smiled and gave him a small hug. “Yes, even though you're super annoying.”

“Unfortunately, we do…” Beomgyu said, smiling.

“Anyways…” Kai said. “Let's get going!”

“Ah, Taehyun!” Yeonjun said suddenly. “Can I drive back?”

Taehyun glanced up at him already about to say yes. He laughed at the way his Hyung was pouting and staring at him with puppy eyes.

“Did you and Kai switch souls or something?” He asked, making the others laugh. 

“Is that a yes…?” Yeonjun asked hopefully.

Taehyun laughed as he tossed the keys in his direction.

“Of course, Hyung. But I get to choose the music.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ ‘Thought I'd end up with Sean~ But he wasn't a match~’ _

“Oh no, not Ari…” Kai groaned from the backseat.

Taehyun turned from where he was sitting in the passenger seat, glancing past Beomgyu who was sitting in the middle and looked at Kai who was sitting with a hand thrown over his face in frustration.

“Hm? Why not?”

Beomgyu gasped suddenly, grinning widely.

“Taehyun? Are you an Ari fan too?!”

Taehyun nodded, smiling brightly when Beomgyu lifted his hand for a high five. He raised his own hand, meeting Beomgyu’s, as he laughed.

“Ugh, I guess it's twice the suffering for us, Kai…” Yeonjun said from the driver's seat.

“But why don't you like her? She's so talented.” Taehyun said.

“Well…” Kai began. “You're right, she  _ is _ pretty amazing and I'd probably even be her fan if Beomgyu didn't always go on about her.”

“Yup, same here.” Yeonjun said. “I'll come close to liking a song and he'll just… Ruin it for me.”

“Hey!” Beomgyu said, frowning. “You guys always go on about that one dude too!”

“Shawn Mendes.” Yeonjun said. “We don't talk about him as much as you do about Ariana.”

“Yeah Hyung! You didn't even remember his name!” Kai said.

“Well, that's just because I can't remember names!” Beomgyu protested.

“Well, I don't have a problem with Shawn. I like both.” Taehyun said. 

“Ok, then.” Yeonjun said, grinning as he reached over to switch the music.

“I'd much rather listen to Ari though…” Taehyun said, smiling slightly.

“Ah just you wait…” Yeonjun said, finally settling on a song.

_ ‘I love it when you call me senorita~’ _

“Oh! I'm actually cool with this! I love Camilla too.” Taehyun said.

“Yes! Isn't it such a good song Hyung?” Kai said.

“Yup, it is!” Taehyun said.

“Yah!” Beomgyu said. “Taehyun, I thought you were on my side!”

“I am! I like both, dude!” Taehyun said.

“No, you can only choose one! Ari or Shawn!” Beomgyu said, his frown deepening.

Taehyun grinned, deciding to tease the boy a little.

“Hmm, maybe I'll choose Shawn.”

“Oh yes, taste!” Yeonjun said, turning to give the boy a fist bump.

“I knew I could trust you Hyung!” Kai chirped from the back.

“Hey, not fair!” Beomgyu said.

Beomgyu suddenly reached forward, his hand outstretched to change the music.

“Hey!” Yeonjun said, turning slightly and blocking the boy with one arm. “Sit back down, Beom!”

“Hey, don't push me!” He shouted.

Beomgyu wasn't backing down. Taehyun tried gently pushing him back so Yeonjun could focus, but the boy only shoved his arm away.

“I'm not pushing you, just sit down please!”

“ _ Hyung, watch out! _ ” 

Taehyun heard Kai shout only to be thrown forward a second later. He gasped and shut his eyes, but luckily the belt caught him as Yeonjun pressed down on the brakes abruptly.

Lifting his head and opening his eyes slowly, he saw a car zoom past in front of them when it was clearly their right of way.

Yeonjun sat there frozen, eyes wide, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Taehyun reached forward and switched the music off, before patting Yeonjun's shoulder gently.

“Hey, we can't stop in the middle of the intersection…” He said, softly.

Yeonjun shook slightly, blinking a few times before he nodded and began driving again.

They drove for a few minutes in silence before the eldest spoke in a whisper.

“It was our right…”

“I know…” Taehyun responded.

“That guy… He shouldn't have…”

“I know…”

Yeonjun fell silent after that, driving without a word. Taehyun glanced at the rear view mirror, frowning in concern when he saw the other two boys curled up against one another, still in shock.

Taehyun's own heart was still beating out of his chest, but he wanted to make everyone feel better.

Sighing, he eventually stayed put, not wanting to disturb the silence.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taehyun marveled at his friends ability to recover from their near crash.

By the time they arrived at Soobin’s place, the three were just as excited as they had been at the bakery. It was as if the incident had never happened at all.

Of course, there was still a slight tremor in Kai's hands, but his face was bright and smiling.

They'd be ok. Taehyun was glad it wouldn't ruin their reunion.

They all crowded around in front of Soobin's house, impatiently knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell.

The door opened finally and Yeonjun was the first to attack Soobin.

“Soobin! My bro!” He screamed, leaping at the boy and hugging him fiercely.

“Ah, Yeonjun Hyung!” Soobin said, hugging him back.

“Soobin, you're a grape now!” He said, referring to the boy’s purple hair.

“And you're a lemon!” Soobin said.

“Ah, yes! You got it right!” Yeonjun squealed. He moved back to look at his face.

“Soob, you have no idea how much I missed you and your soft cheekies!” Yeonjun said, punctuating his sentence by pinching the boy's cheeks.

“Ah, Hyung, stop it!” Soobin said, giggling.

“Yikes…” Beomgyu said, as the others walked in and closed the door. “How are we supposed to break up this love fest?”

“Yah!” Soobin said, turning to Beomgyu. “Come here, Beomie! You too, Kai!”

The two boys happily joined the hug, laughing excitedly.

“Taehyun, you too!” Yeonjun said.

Taehyun smiled and joined their first group hug in a year. He smiled contently at the comfortable silence.

“Anyways…” Beomgyu said, breaking free from the hug. “Soobin Hyung, you should do a house tour!”

“Ah, ok, let's do it!” Soobin said, agreeing right away.

Soobin led them all around the house, showing them everything animatedly. They were super excited to see all the food Soobin had ordered for them set up in the kitchen and equally as excited to see all the video games Soobin owned and had set up in the basement.

“Yo, you have table tennis?! It's exactly like the one I have back home!” Yeonjun said.

Soobin laughed and gave him a high five as he continued his tour.

He showed them the two guest rooms and explained how they could split them up later with a round of rock paper scissors.

As they stepped into the second guest room, Taehyun glanced at the mirror where he had tried to open the Realm earlier that morning.

Smiling slightly and shaking his head, he couldn't believe he had been so naive to think the Realm could actually exist.

As they were leaving, he glanced at the mirror once more, fully expecting it to show a normal reflection. And it did. What he didn't expect was for the action to trigger a stab of pain through his head.

_ Ugh, not this again… Not now… _

But of course, it wasn't up to him. He sighed, braving the pain because that was all he could do at the moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, we could turn this into a pajama party, you guys!” Yeonjun said, suddenly.

“Ah, you really are trying to be the maknae, aren't you Hyung?” Kai said, from where he was helping Soobin in the kitchen.

“Trying to be cute or something, Hyung? Cuz it's not working.” Beomgyu said, snickering.

“I think it's cute…” Soobin muttered. “But then again, I think he's cute normally too…”

Soobin had barely finished his sentence when the three maknaes said, “ _ we know, Hyung” _

They all sounded extremely done and over it. They laughed when Soobin fell quiet, blushing slightly.

Yeonjun looked like he wanted to say something to Soobin but kept quiet for his sake.

“Anyways, jokes aside… I think a pajama party is a good idea.” Kai spoke up.

“Ah, Kai! I knew I could count on you!” Yeonjun said, laughing.

“Count me in too!” Beomgyu piped up.

“Let's do it, but I think we should eat first.” Soobin said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Taehyun, why so quiet? You haven't touched your food either…” Yeonjun said, suddenly, shaking the boy out of his thoughts.

Taehyun looked up to see all four of the boys staring at him in concern. He probably would've noticed sooner, had his head not been intent on killing him today.

“Ah, I just spaced out. And I'm not that hungry…” He lied.

He probably would've told the truth, but he didn't wanna ruin their day with his troubles.

Soobin didn't look convinced, but the others looked relieved.

“Oh, that's good. I thought you were sick or something.” Beomgyu said.

“If you do feel sick, tell us.” Kai said.

“Mhmm, and don't eat if you don't want to.” Yeonjun said.

Taehyun forced himself to smile, nodding at all the things said to him.

“Anyways…” Kai said. “I noticed our trophy in your little display cabinet, Soobin Hyung.”

_ Our? Isn't it just mine and Soobin's? _

Taehyun waited for Soobin to protest but he just smiled at the maknae.

“Oh, yeah, that….”

“How was it without us?” Beomgyu asked.

“Ah, well…” Soobin said, sighing. “ It really wasn't the same… That's why we didn't participate this year.”

“Aw, yeah, we really wish we could've been there.” Yeonjun said.

“Yeah, so do we…” Soobin said.

“I'm actually quite surprised you guys still managed to win…” Kai said. “I mean, not that I think you two are incapable without us. But I heard there was a whole bunch of dark magic and stuff like that. Was it hard to deal with?”

“Not at all.” Taehyun cut in suddenly.

Soobin glanced at Taehyun in confusion. The dark magic was probably the hardest thing they'd encountered in the Dream Olympics.

“It was pretty easy and to be honest, if it had been all of us, I think we wouldn't have won.”

“What? How come?” Beomgyu asked.

“Not that you three are incapable or anything…” Taehyun said, echoing Kai's words from before. “I just think me and Soobin Hyung work better and faster together. We would've come in second if it was all of us.”

Taehyun could sense the tension in the air. He didn't know why he said that, but he did.

“I don't agree.” Soobin said, sternly. “Regardless, it was never about winning. It was about us doing it together for fun. And that's why we didn't compete this year. It's not the same if we win without you guys.”

“Taehyun doesn't seem to think so…” Yeonjun muttered glancing at the boy.

“It would've been more fun with you guys.” Taehyun said, shrugging. “But we wouldn't have won.” 

“Well, anyways…” Yeonjun said, changing the subject.

Taehyun saw Soobin smile in relief at Yeonjun before he glanced at him sharply, the message clear in his eyes. They would be having a talk later.

But Taehyun couldn't care less. His head was killing him, he'd already forgotten half of what he'd just said and the reason for his words was lost in the clouds.

His attention was brought back to the conversation when he heard a familiar phrase.

“You guys know about… The Dream Realm, right?” Yeonjun said, his voice hushed as if discussing a forbidden topic.

“Yes…?” Soobin said, hesitantly as the others slowly nodded.

“It's supposedly a myth.” Taehyun said.

“Yeah, but…” Yeonjun paused, deep in thought. “Have you ever thought… That maybe it's not?”

“Sometimes…” Beomgyu said.

“Well, I was thinking…”

“Please tell me it's not what I think it is…” Soobin said, cutting him off.

“What? Trying to open it?” Yeonjun asked.

Soobin facepalmed.

“Yes…  _ that. _ ”

“Well, I mean, think about it! We're the youngest Dream Olympics winners. We were the youngest students at Abraxas. If anyone were to do it, it'd be us!”

“That's exactly what Taehyun said.” Soobin groaned.

“But actually, I'm with Soobin Hyung now. I don't believe it exists.” Taehyun spoke up.

“What? Really?” Soobin asked, turning to him. “Why'd you change your mind?”

“Well, I thought about it and logically it wouldn't make sense if it has existed for years and no one has managed to open it.  _ Someone _ would've opened it in all this time, don't you think?” 

Taehyun purposely left out how he had actually tried it only to find out that it hadn't worked.

“Hmm, Taehyun has a point actually.” Kai said.

“But what if…” Yeonjun continued. “People  _ have _ opened it, but no one lived to tell the tale?”

“And what makes you think we  _ would _ live to tell it?” Beomgyu asked.

“Guys come on. The Dream Olympics have  _ got _ to mean something.  _ Abraxas Academy _ means something.”

There was a heavy silence that surrounded them for a few seconds, before Soobin sighed suddenly and stood.

“Nope. I'm sorry, Yeonjunnie. I can't.” He said. “Besides, I've heard another rumor that if someone were to open it and not be able to close it, everything intensifies. Like magic, emotions, natural disasters…”

“Natural disasters?!” Beomgyu said, incredulously. “Where did that come from, Hyung?”

“Hey, I'm just saying!” Soobin said, raising his hands in defense. “Anything is possible, ok?”

Beomgyu laughed slightly, before glancing at Yeonjun.

“Sorry, Hyung… I don't wanna do it either.”

Kai nodded in agreement to Beomgyu’s statement.

“Same here.” Taehyun stated.

Yeonjun smiled, unphased.

“It's ok, don't apologise! It was just a suggestion! I honestly didn't expect any of you guys to agree to it.” Yeonjun said. “Besides, I'm not even sure myself if it's real and even if it was, I don't know the incantations.”

“I didn't even know there were incantations…” Kai muttered.

Taehyun glanced at Yeonjun, who was still smiling amiably as the conversation moved on.

The others seemed to be fooled by his neutral expression, but Taehyun saw the exact moment his smile dropped and his gaze darkened.

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

_ Now see them burn in fire... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sparks lead to...👀
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	5. Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sparks lead to... Flames🔥

_Our promised something something…_

_ <>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<> _

Taehyun groaned in frustration.

The five boys had dressed up in their pajamas and were all gathered in the living room and all Taehyun could think about was how this reunion had been a terrible idea.

In the 15 minutes it had taken the boys to go upstairs, change, and come back down, Kai had relentlessly attacked him with questions about the 2019 Olympics. Most questions had to do with how they even came to the decision to participate without them.

Yup, Kai was definitely jealous.

Yeonjun had been mysteriously quiet ever since the conversation about the Dream Realm and it was making Taehyun super anxious.

And he didn't know why he felt this way, but he had a strange feeling that Beomgyu was keeping an eye on him for some reason. It was getting annoying real fast and Taehyun had half a mind to tell him he should probably be watching Yeonjun and not him.

On top of all that, his headache had still not subsided.

Something hit his head, shaking him out of his thoughts.

He glanced up from where he was sitting on the floor and glared at Kai who was sitting on the couch, swinging his legs.

“Hey, stop that.” He said, annoyed.

“No.” Kai said, simply, grinning down at him.

Taehyun looked over at Soobin, who was also sitting on the floor in front of the couch.

“Hyung, tell him to stop.”

“Kai, stop it.” Soobin said, drily, eyes focused on the TV in front of him as he tried to find a movie to watch.

Kai flinched and wordlessly folded his legs.

“Hey, what movie are we watching again?” Beomgyu said.

“We're watching Harry Potter.” Yeonjun said. “Because Taehyun is uncultured enough to not know a thing about it.”

“Hey.” Taehyun glared at Yeonjun. “I just use my time more wisely.”

“And where has that gotten you?” Yeonjun said, laughing sarcastically.

“Hey, shut up, you guys, the movie is starting.” Kai said.

Taehyun turned around, vaguely wondering why the mood was getting more and more tense as the night went on. Had one year apart really changed them so much?

As the movie played, he couldn't help but notice that no one was really paying attention. Kai was nodding off, Soobin and Yeonjun were staring blankly at the screen, and Beomgyu… He was just staring at Taehyun.

Taehyun really didn't know what to do anymore, but he didn't wanna think about it. His head was still pounding like crazy so he decided to sleep as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Let's play hide and seek!” Kai shrieked as soon as the movie ended.

Taehyun jerked awake, groaning when his head twinged in pain.

“Aish, you don't have to scream so loud, Kai.” He muttered.

Kai leaped off the couch, glaring at Taehyun.

“Well, _excuse me_ for being the only visibly excited person here. If y'all didn't wanna meet up, you should've just said so.”

“No, no, Kai, of course we wanna be here.” Yeonjun said immediately.

“Yeah, Kai don't worry, we'll play with you!” Beomgyu said, rising from the couch.

“I think hide and seek is a good idea…” Soobin said, standing and glancing over at Taehyun. “Taehyun thinks so too, he's just tired cuz he just woke up because of your scream…”

Kai's expression immediately changed from anger to concern.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Tae! I didn't know you were sleeping.”

“Don't worry about it, Kai.” Taehyun muttered, climbing to his feet and trying hard to keep his balance.

He didn't miss the way Beomgyu glanced at him, frowning.

He sighed, deciding it was time for some hard core acting. 

Lifting his head, he plastered the brightest smile he could on to his face and slung an arm around Beomgyu's shoulder.

“Beomgyu, why don't you be the seeker for the first round?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taehyun didn't know why he did it, but for some reason he felt compelled to hide in the very guest room he had tried to open the Dream Realm in.

It was probably all just in his head, but he was getting some really creepy vibes from the mirror and the entire room in general.

But despite the obvious chills riding up his spine, he still curled up in the tiny space between the bed and the wall, waiting to be found.

His thoughts wandered to how their reunion was turning out very different from what they expected. Frowning, he tried to figure out exactly when the mood started feeling off.

If he had to choose, he'd say it was when Yeonjun had started talking about the Dream Realm. That was when everyone started getting tense and anxious. And rightly so, in Taehyun's opinion.

The Dream Realm itself wasn't the problem. It was the fact that he had suggested the use of dark magic just because they had some made up credentials.

Not made up, actually. They were actually valid. And Taehyun was well aware of the fact that he had said the exact same thing in the morning.

But Taehyun had backed down almost right away. There was also the fact that he was a maknae and had a Hyung to talk sense into him. Yeonjun had nothing of the sort. There was nothing stopping him from trying it and while he claimed to have no idea how to access it, Taehyun didn't believe it for a second.

He needed to keep an eye on him.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he was reminded of the fact that he himself was also being watched for some reason or other. He really didn't know why Beomgyu was so intent on watching him.

He wasn't the bad guy. He wasn't being suspicious.

That was all Yeonjun.

But whatever the reason, he'd have to try and gain Beomgyu's trust before he could even suggest such a thing.

Taehyun hadn't done a thing and he was going to make sure Beomgyu knew who the real mystery was.

The sound of a doorknob turning slowly suddenly caught his attention.

_That must be Beomgyu…_

He curled up further but it was only a few seconds before Beomgyu's head appeared above him.

“Found you!” Beomgyu said, giggling.

Taehyun smiled, climbing out of his hiding place, not missing the way Beomgyu's eyes never left his face.

“Was I the first one?” He asked.

“Yup!” Beomgyu confirmed. “You get to be seeker next.”

“Oh, nice.” Taehyun said, not even sparing the boy a glance as he walked away. “Let's go find the others.”

“Hey…” Beomgyu said, his voice laced with disappointment. 

Taehyun felt a hand on his shoulder and turned slightly to see the boy giving him a strange look. Worry, disappointment, and a sort of apprehension all rolled in one.

“What's wrong, Tae?”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Taehyun said, confused.

“You seem off. Are you sick? Do you not wanna play? You look super annoyed for some reason…” Beomgyu was staring at him with puppy eyes.

Taehyun was sure he hadn't meant to do that, but he was a very emotional guy by nature.

Was this why he was keeping an eye on him? He was worried he wasn't having fun with them?

But no, Taehyun could clearly see past all the worry. It was there, but there was also something else.

Suspicion. Distrust. Doubt.

There was another reason for Beomgyu's questions but Taehyun still didn't know what.

“I'm fine, Beomgyu. No need to worry about me.” He said, simply, before walking off.

Beomgyu didn't follow him, leaving the room and going in the opposite direction.

As Taehyun stopped and glanced behind him, he anxiously wondered what the end of the night would bring.

Because at this point, he knew that every single one of them was hiding something.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ready or not, here I come!” Taehyun said, his voice echoing back to him in the silence shrouding the house.

He was amazed at how quietly his friends moved, barely making a sound as they hid.

As he walked quietly through the house, he let his eyes wander, trying to figure out where each of his friends would hide.

Kai would probably choose a place that was closer to him, but easily overlooked.

Like maybe… Behind the rocking chair?

Taehyun peeked behind it and frowned when he saw no one there.

Soobin would probably hide somewhere unexpected and father away like the basement. He liked to drag out the game.

Yeonjun would probably hide with him, so they wouldn't have to wait alone and be bored. Their giggles and whispers were often what gave them away.

As Taehyun walked down to the basement, he was again struck by how quiet the house was.

Stepping off the last stair, he noticed there were no telltale signs of Yeonbin lurking around. Still, he searched everywhere for them and eventually gave up when he couldn't find them.

Moving on to Beomgyu… He was the one most likely to run around trying to find the most creative hiding spot only to end up in the most basic place and try to conceal himself with magic.

There were a bunch of places he could check, but for some reason Taehyun's legs carried him all the way upstairs, down the hall and straight to the very room he ought to avoid.

He checked all the hiding places in that room, including the place he'd hidden in previously.

Just as he was about to check the closet, a shadow flickered past his peripheral vision.

His body tensed as he glanced sharply in the direction of the shadow.

Nothing…

Just the dresser…

And the mirror above it…

Taehyun felt like he was rooted to the spot as he stared at his reflection. There was something… Different about his reflection but he couldn't place his finger on it.

It was right on the tip of his tongue but he just couldn't figure it out…

As he stared, he vaguely noticed that he felt like he couldn't move even if he tried.

What…

What was happening…?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Beomgyu frowned when he heard the noise from outside the closet stop abruptly.

Surely, Taehyun should've found him by now?

That… _was_ Taehyun walking around in the room… Wasn't it?

Beomgyu shivered, wrapping the blanket he had stolen from the bed around himself tighter.

He shifted slightly, peeking through the crack in the door.

Yup, that was Taehyun.

But…

What was he doing?

He was standing right in front of the dresser, eyes glued to the mirror in some sort of trance.

Beomgyu frowned.

Something was definitely up with Taehyun, despite his insistence that he was fine.

Beomgyu had noticed it right away, the minute he started acting weird on the dinner table.

He'd been watching him since then, but no matter how much he tried to figure out what was wrong with him, he just couldn't seem to do it.

Now, he was standing in front of him, hypnotized by a mirror and Beomgyu was getting impatient.

_Well, if he's not gonna snap out of it himself, I guess I'll just have to do it for him._

With that thought in mind, Beomgyu burst through the closet door and grabbed the smaller boy.

“Got ya!” He shouted as Taehyun gasped, eyes wide in surprise.

The surprise quickly melted off his face, turning into a frown of annoyance.

“Hey, why'd you do that?” He asked, irritated as he shoved Beomgyu off. “And why are you wrapped in that thing?”

“It was cold in the closet.” Beomgyu said, shrugging. “And you were taking too long to find me.”

“You should've just stayed put.” Taehyun said. “I was getting to it.”

“Sure you were.” Beomgyu said, sarcastically. “You were staring at your reflection like it was your long lost twin or something.”

“What? No I wasn't.” Taehyun said.

“Don’t deny it, Tae. I was literally watching you the whole time!”

“Well, why don't you quit watching me?” Taehyun said, glaring. “It's getting a little annoying.”

“Well, why don't you stop acting weird so I don't have to watch you?” Beomgyu retorted.

“I'm _not_ acting weird!” 

“Yes, you _are!_ ”

“Whatever…” Taehyun said, the anger disappearing, replaced by indifference. “Let's just go find the others.”

“No!” Beomgyu said, grabbing his shoulder and forcefully pushing him back. “Tell me why you're being so weird!”

“I'm not!” Taehyun said, pushing back. “Why don't you just leave me alone?”

“Just loosen up, Tae! I don't why you're being like this!” Beomgyu tried to reason with him.

Taehyun didn't say another word. He just turned around, grabbed a pillow from the bed and smacked Beomgyu in the face with it.

“Hey!” Beomgyu yelped.

He frowned, whipping the blanket off his shoulders and leaping towards the boy.

Enough was enough.

Beomgyu didn't intend to cover him with it, only to restrain him.

But he forgot that Taehyun was a small boy, so when he pushed against him until he fell on the bed, he wasn't expecting the blanket to completely trap him underneath.

Still, Beomgyu was unperturbed. It wasn't like he would suffocate so quickly. 

However, he knew Taehyun would probably be uncomfortable under there and while he was being a jerk at the moment, Beomgyu really didn't want to take it too far.

But in the end, Beomgyu never got the chance to move the blanket himself, even though that was his intent.

Just as he was about to move it, Taehyun pushed against him with a mighty shove, completely throwing Beomgyu's balance into disarray.

Beomgyu yelped as he fell to the floor, turning shocked eyes to the towering figure before him.

Taehyun looked furious, although Beomgyu couldn't understand why he was so worked up. Beomgyu was understandably annoyed, but Taehyun's reaction was a new level of rage.

“Leave. Me. Alone.” Taehyun growled, stressing each word.

Beomgyu gasped suddenly as Taehyun's face came more into view. He blinked, unable to believe his eyes.

“Tae- Taehyun… Your eyes… They're…” Beomgyu couldn't get past the first few words, his shock preventing him from speaking.

Taehyun blinked suddenly, shaking his head. His angry expression vanished, confusion written all over his face.

He didn't speak for some time, before finally glancing down at Beomgyu.

“What about my eyes?” He asked, seemingly irritated at the subject change.

Beomgyu couldn't say a thing as Taehyun walked forward and peered at himself in the mirror.

“Nothing's wrong with my eyes, Beomgyu.” He stated.

He turned to glare at him once more, before he began to walk away.

“That was a lame attempt at changing the subject. Oh and by the way, stop staring at me, it's annoying.” 

And with that, he was gone.

Beomgyu barely registered that he had left, or even what his last words to him had been. All he could think about was how he had definitely seen Taehyun's eyes change color in that split second.

One had been green and the other was blue…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As the night went on, Beomgyu quickly realized that he'd have to completely forget about what he had seen.

His other friends had already caught on to his anxiety and Beomgyu really didn't feel like explaining what he saw.

But Beomgyu soon found that it was quite easy to convince himself that it had never happened. It was just the lighting, he told himself. Because, come _on_ , something like couldn't _possibly_ happen in real life, right?

Even in a world full of magic, things didn't just happen without a reason. And besides, even if there _had_ been magic at work, Soobin would've sensed it, right?

Of course, not if it had been dark magic, which Soobin _couldn't_ sense, but Beomgyu chose to ignore that minor detail.

Still, he kept an eye on Taehyun, trying to be a little discreet about it this time.

As he walked over to the fridge to grab some strawberries, he watched with a small smile on his face as Kai danced happily with his strawberry shortcake held high in his hands.

“Hey, hey, bring it here Kai!” Yeonjun said, laughing.

Kai obediently set it down on the counter while Yeonjun took some candles out of the drawer.

He placed as many candles onto the cake as he could, holding the last one in his hand as he searched for a lighter.

“Ah, whoops, I'm an idiot.” Yeonjun said, laughing as he facepalmed. “I don't need a lighter, I can just…”

He snapped his fingers, smiling as Kai laughed happily at the sparks that flew from his hand onto the candle, lighting it easily.

“Oh, be careful, Yeonjun!” Soobin said, suddenly.

“Hey, don't worry, I know what I'm doing.” Yeonjun said, as he used the candle to light the rest.

“Wow, Hyung, the flames are so high…” Kai said, awed.

“Look…” Soobin said, moving forward suddenly and pushing the cake back a little.

He pointed to the paper plates and cups that were next to the cake.

“It shouldn't be too close to the paper stuff. They could catch fire.” Soobin explained.

“Ah, you're right.” Yeonjun agreed, pushing the cake a little bit more.

Throughout the entire conversation, Taehyun stood off to the side, watching quietly. He didn't say a word and looked utterly bored.

Beomgyu didn't know what his problem was, but he was going to find out.

As Beomgyu watched the boys, he absentmindedly went about his own things. He was trying to make a strawberry shake for Kai and the others but he didn't know the first thing about making shakes.

His brain told him he ought to put a whole bunch of strawberries in the blender first, so he did just that.

But in his absentmindedness, he pressed the start button without putting on the lid. His eyes widened as he realized his mistake and at the last second, he covered the top with both hands, trying to stop the mixture from overflowing.

Yelping as bits of strawberries flew out of the blender, he reached forward with one hand and pulled the plug.

He sighed as the machine calmed down. He glanced down at his hands and clothes and groaned when he saw what a mess he was. He looked over at the machine with a look of betrayal, noticing he had barely stopped anything from making its way onto the counter.

The strawberry juice looked a lot like blood in Beomgyu's opinion and he was covered in it.

He grinned, thinking he must look like a fallen warrior come back to life.

“Hey, guys!” Beomgyu said, catching the other's attention.

“I'm a warrior zombie!” He shrieked, running towards them, his hands outstretched.

Soobin took off as soon as he saw what was happening, yelling that Beomgyu had better clean up his kitchen later.

“Haha! The kitchen should be the least of your worries Hyung!” Beomgyu said.

Yeonjun followed the two boys, alternating between screaming and laughing.

Beomgyu finally caught up to Soobin, grabbing him and pushing him to the floor.

“Beom! My clothes!” Soobin said, but he was laughing.

“Hey guys, watch out!”

Beomgyu turned to see Yeonjun, his hands holding a bunch of strawberries as he got ready to throw them.

Laughing, Beomgyu covered his face with his hands as Yeonjun began his relentless attack.

“Hey, stop wasting the strawberries, you guys!” Kai said, as he joined the others. “Use tomatoes instead!”

Laughing hysterically, Kai raised his hands to reveal what he had stolen from Soobin's fridge.

“You guys are gonna have to help me clean up after this!” Soobin shouted as he picked up a stray strawberry and chucked it at Yeonjun.

“Don't worry about it, Binnie!” Yeonjun reassured. “Hey, Taehyun join us!”

Beomgyu glanced over at the boy who was still standing in the kitchen. He watched as the boy smiled slightly and began to walk over to them.

“Alright, fine.” He said, grabbing his strawberries from the kitchen and rushing forwards.

The next hour or so could only be described as pure chaos. Beomgyu soon lost all track of time and all sense of reason as he attacked his friends relentlessly.

He felt like he was flying, his nerves charged with a strange euphoric feeling. There was no end in sight of the laughter and fun.

At some point, Kai went back to eating the strawberries instead of fighting with them, but Beomgyu barely noticed.

Once or twice, his brain would snap him out of it and he'd get confused.

There was something he was supposed to be doing that was way more important than this.

Oh right, he had to keep an eye on Taehyun.

Taehyun didn't look like he was having too much fun. In fact, he looked ready to kill with the way he was throwing the fruits at them.

Something was wrong with Taehyun. He had to figure out what. But he couldn't do that with how crazy things were right now.

He should call a timeout so he could talk to him.

But this feeling was amazing, this feeling of intense happiness, unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

Sure, there was a strange underlying feeling that something was wrong but…

Did it really matter?

When they were this happy?

No, no, something was wrong...

_Why does everything feel wrong?_

_This doesn't feel real, any of it…_

But every time Beomgyu's brain told him something was wrong, the euphoria would pull him back under.

That was until Soobin pushed him a little too hard and his head hit the floor with a loud thud.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The noise, the euphoria, the strange surreality of it all.

“Beomgyu are you ok?” Soobin's voice came.

It was surprisingly clear, despite the way his ears were ringing as he slowly sat up.

Pressing his palm against the back of his head, he groaned in pain.

“I… Think so…?” He said, unsure.

“I'll be fine…” He decided once he saw that everything was still functioning properly.

“Wait…” Soobin said, suddenly. “Where's Yeonjun?”

“Didn’t he go to get more strawberries?” Beomgyu asked.

“He did but…”

“ _You guys!”_

Just as they heard Yeonjun's scream, Beomgyu registered the vague smell of smoke permeating the house.

Without another word, the two bolted to their feet and ran to the kitchen.

There were Kai and Taehyun standing in the dining room and staring wide eyed into the kitchen.

There stood Yeonjun, the cake destroyed on the floor, the candles out, all in the middle of a raging fire covering the entire room.

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

_You turn your back when the fire is burning..._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's fault?👀
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	6. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys PUMA...👀  
> I KNEW there would be something for PUMA. I just thought there'd be a choreo but not an entire MV I'm so excited NSKSJDKDND  
> Anyways onto the chapter!

_ Crumbled sand castle… _

_ Who’s a liar? _

_ <>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<> _

Soobin couldn't help but stare in shock at the raging inferno before him. How had this happened? His eyes locked on to Yeonjun's fear filled ones, noticing how badly the boy was shaking.

The flames were creeping towards them way faster than they should and Soobin shook his head, bringing himself back to reality.

“Beomgyu!” He yelled, glancing at the boy.

“On it!” The boy said back, reaching out with both hands outstretched as he expelled a jet of water towards the flames.

Soobin flinched backwards when the flames only grew, seemingly consuming the magical water Beomgyu was spraying at it.

Beomgyu stopped, his expression twisting in confusion.

“Maybe normal water will work?” Kai asked, hesitantly.

The maknae grabbed the water jug from the table, throwing all the water onto the flames. That didn't work either and Soobin was shocked to see that the flames swallowed the small amount of water and grew even more.

Soobin took a few steps backwards, sweat beginning to drip down his neck. His eyes and throat were burning in discomfort at this point.

“Beomgyu!” He yelled again. “Take these two upstairs and wait for me!”

Beomgyu obeyed without a word, grabbing the two maknaes by the hand and taking them away. Once Soobin saw that they were safely upstairs, he turned back to Yeonjun.

“Yeonjun!” He called, waiting for the boy to look at him. “How did this happen?”

“I- I don't know!” Yeonjun stuttered. 

He glanced down at the cake near his feet and gestured towards it.

“Some of the candles were out and I tried relighting them, but the flames went out of control!” Yeonjun held up his hands and Soobin flinched when he saw the tips of his fingers were red and bleeding.

“It burned me! And then I dropped the cake and then-”

Yeonjun was forcefully cut off as a coughing fit came over him. Soobin watched worriedly as he held a shaking hand up to his mouth.

“Are you sure these are your flames?” Soobin asked, once Yeonjun had calmed down enough to speak.

“Yes!” Yeonjun said.

“But…” Soobin trailed off, staring at the flames. “If they're magic then… Why can't I sense them? They're definitely not normal flames either…”

Yeonjun yelped suddenly as the flames near him rose impossibly higher. Soobin shook his head, focusing back on the situation.

“Yeonjun! I'm gonna figure something out, ok? Stay put!” 

Soobin rushed away from the flames, going upstairs to the others. He winced when he heard Yeonjun scream for him to stay with him. He would love to, but Soobin was sure he wouldn't be able to provide any comfort or help if he just stood there.

As he ran up the stairs, he noticed how hazy everything looked through the thick smoke that was steadily rising to the ceiling. He tried to breathe sparingly but his lungs were already desperately trying to rid themselves of the smoke he had inhaled.

He coughed into his arm and kept it there, trying to prevent some of the smoke from re-entering his lungs.

He found the three maknaes shaking and curled up against one another in one of the guest rooms. His heart twinged in sorrow. He'd love to let them try and gather themselves but there was absolutely no time for that.

“Ok guys…” He said, walking over to them. “First things first, we have to help Yeonjun somehow and then we all have to get out of here.”

The boys obediently stood up and followed Soobin down the hall. Soobin gasped as they neared the stairs, shocked to see that the flames had already climbed halfway up the stairs.

“Oh my God…” He muttered.

“Wait! I have an idea.” Kai said, stepping down a few steps. “Maybe I can…”

Kai reached out with his hand, before closing it into a fist. Soobin watched wide eyed as he successfully pushed some of the flames aside.

“I… I can make a path for you guys…” 

It was clearly hard on the boy, if the way he was grimacing was anything to go by. But his eyes were set in determination as he held his fist out.

“Let's go.” Taehyun said, walking ahead while Kai led the way.

“Come on, Hyung.” Beomgyu said, grabbing Soobin's hand and walking forward.

With every step, Kai pushed more flames aside. It was slow going, but it was something.

They made it down the stairs and into the living room, which was not completely covered in flames just yet.

Kai dropped his fist, coughing harshly into his arm. Soobin watched his friends worriedly. None of them seemed to be doing well. He himself was sweating like crazy at this point.

Kai looked past everyone and into the kitchen where Yeonjun was just barely visible in the middle of the flames.

Yeonjun looked like he was in a trance, his eyes clearly unfocused as he stared into the flames hopelessly.

“Hyung!” Kai called.

Yeonjun's head snapped up, wide eyes staring at Kai, pleadingly.

“I'm coming to get you in a bit, ok?!”

Yeonjun nodded quickly, eyes never leaving Kai's face.

Taehyun gasped suddenly as the flames crept closer to them, consuming the carpet and the couch near them. Soobin pulled him close and anxiously watched as Kai turned back to them.

“Ok, I'm gonna get you guys out first.” He said.

With that, he raised his fist once more, making a path to the front door.

They made their way to the door as fast as they could. Once they were there, Soobin reached forward to open it and quickly herded Taehyun and Beomgyu out.

Soobin was the last to step out into the cold night air. He turned to face Kai, desperation in his eyes.

“Be careful, Kai, ok?” He whispered, his throat too sore to speak louder.

“I will…” Kai said, nodding. “I'll get him out in no time.”

“Ok…” Soobin said.

He didn't move, not wanting to leave the boy alone.

“Go on, Hyung. Take the other two to the sidewalk where it's safer. Also place a muting charm on this entire place if you can. This doesn't seem like a normal fire and I'd rather the authorities not get involved.” Kai said.

Soobin wasn't sure how good of an idea that was but he agreed for the time being. 

It definitely wasn't normal, so the firefighters wouldn't be able to do much. And it took a lot of searching to find the right wizards for the job.

“Stay safe.” Soobin said.

With those last words, he ran back to the others.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kai sighed heavily as he watched Soobin run towards the others. He stayed there for a few seconds before steeling himself once more and turning around.

The flames were all over the place at this point and Kai knew he had no time to waste.

He kept his eyes on Yeonjun as he walked forward with his fist raised. Yeonjun didn't look at him, he was crouched down in the middle of the flames and Kai wasn't sure but it sounded like he was crying and coughing at the same time.

That only made Kai want to move faster, but the flames weren't giving up either.

Little by little, he finally made it to Yeonjun.

“Hyung! Take my hand!” 

Yeonjun immediately obeyed, standing and wrapping his hand around Kai's outstretched one.

Kai was surprised at how sweaty his palms were and what shocked him even more was the blood slowly trickling down his fingers.

Shaking his head, he decided now was not the time to think about it and began to move forward.

He hoped it wasn't too obvious that he was having a hard time but his hand had started shaking and it felt like someone was driving a knife into his head.

He wasn't used to using his power for this long and against something that resisted.

It was strange how much he could feel the flames pushing back against him, almost as if they had a mind of their own.

“Kai!”

Kai suddenly felt Yeonjun wrap his arms around him and push him to the ground. Kai was so shocked he almost unclenched his fist, but caught himself at the last second.

Kai glanced up to see that pieces of the ceiling had begun to rain down on them. Yeonjun shielded Kai with his body but thankfully none of them hit either of them.

“Let's go…” Yeonjun muttered, lifting his head when he was sure the barrage of debris had stopped.

Kai nodded and stood, leading the way once more.

As they walked, he was acutely aware of the fact that the flames were becoming absolutely relentless at this point.

Still, even though they were going painfully slow, they eventually made it to the door.

What Kai wasn't expecting was to find the door blocked off by a wall of flame standing in their way.

Kai was nearing the end of his strength, but with a deep breath he reached out with his fist once more, pushing against the flames.

Pulling the door open, he noticed that the wall of flames was closing back up slowly and Kai wasn't able to push back this time.

It suddenly dawned on him that he'd only be able to hold the flames long enough for one of them to make it out.

He glanced at Yeonjun who was shaking so badly Kai wondered how he was able to stand upright.

“Hyung…” He called.

Yeonjun's eyes flickered to Kai's face, worry deep in his gaze.

“Go, Hyung. I'll find a different way out…”

Yeonjun immediately shook his head, his eyes shining with tears.

“I'm not leaving you.” He said firmly.

“Hyung, we don't have a choice!” Kai said irritatedly. 

He glanced at the flames that were rapidly closing, blocking their only escape.

“I can't hold them back any longer!” 

Yeonjun frowned, his eyes set in determination.

“Then you go.”

And with that, Yeonjun pushed the younger boy through the doorway.

Kai gasped as he tumbled out into the cool air, his head striking the footpath with a sharp crack.

He ignored the pain, struggling to get his hands underneath himself and push himself up.

He lifted his head just in time to see Yeonjun’s calm face once more before the flames closed, blocking him from view.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Kai!” Beomgyu shrieked when he saw the boy tumble out of the house.

The boy struggled to his feet and ran over to the other three.

“Hyungs!” He said, sorrowfully, tears threatening to fall.

“W-where’s Yeonjunnie?” Beomgyu asked.

Kai shook his head.

“I couldn't get him out. I tried but-”

“It's ok.” Soobin said, suddenly. “I'll get him out.”

“But how, Hyung?” Kai asked, knowing that Soobin didn't know many charms or spells that would help in this situation.

“I learned the shield charm in school at some point. I never practiced it, but just maybe…”

“I wish there was a better way…” Beomgyu muttered.

“If you think you can do it, Hyung, then go ahead but be careful.” Kai said, knowing very well that Soobin was their last hope at this point.

None of the boys really knew any protection charms. Back in school they mostly leaned towards learning other sorts of charms, but they never saw or felt the need to learn protective charms.

Kai was really wishing they'd learned some at this point.

But still, Abraxas Academy and the Dream Olympics had taught them something. Had it been anyone else, Kai didn't think they'd be able to make it as far as they had.

They just had to get Yeonjun out.

They  _ would  _ get Yeonjun out.

“Wish me luck, you guys….” Soobin muttered, before casting the shield charm around him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Soobin immediately found out that holding up a shield charm wasn't as easy as it had seemed. He was already having a hard time keeping it there and he was annoyed at the fact that it wouldn't prevent him from breathing in the smoke. 

Still, it allowed him to walk through the flames unharmed so at least he didn't have to move slowly.

He sighed in relief when he saw that some of the flames were out anyways. Whenever he stepped into an open area, he would drop the shield and continue forward.

Frowning, he wondered where Yeonjun had gone as he searched the house.

His question was answered when he heard a terrified scream from the basement.

Soobin immediately rushed down the stairs, finding Yeonjun curled up in a corner, trying to avoid the pieces of ceiling that were raining down on him.

“Yeonjun! Come here!” Soobin yelled.

Yeonjun's head shot up, his face transforming in relief as he ran over to him.

There were barely any flames down here and Soobin assumed that's why Yeonjun came here.

Yeonjun wrapped his arms around Soobin tightly and Soobin hugged back without hesitation, frowning worriedly when he felt the boy shaking.

Soobin pulled back and grabbed his hand, trying not to focus on how strained his breathing was becoming.

“Yeonjun. How'd you get down here?”

“I- there were too many flames upstairs, so I transported myself down here. I almost wasn't able to but I managed to do it.”

Soobin flinched at how raspy the boy's voice had become. He would definitely need time for that to heal.

Hopefully, they could all go to the hospital after this.

Soobin was even considering trying to find a magic specialist. This was all too weird and chaotic and they'd need help to figure out what had happened.

“Let's go, Yeonjunnie.” He said, leading the way.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yeonjun was trying his best not to pass out right then and there. His mind was feeling just as foggy as the smoke surrounding the house at the moment.

He had no idea how much time he'd spent inside the burning house, almost always near the epicenter of the flames.

He couldn't seem to stop shaking and every breath felt like a stab in his chest.

His lungs were screaming for oxygen but all he could give them at the moment was the thick smoke.

He coughed into his arm, wincing when his throat burned in discomfort. He felt Soobin stop and tighten his hand around his. He tried stopping long enough to tell him to keep going, but his body seemed intent on making him cough his lungs out.

“S-soobin…” He muttered, when he was finally able to take a breath. “Don't stop. We have to get out of here fast.”

Soobin glanced at him worriedly, looking like he wanted to say something.

“W-what is it?” Yeonjun asked, hesitantly.

That when he noticed the slight tremor in Soobin's hands, the way he was breathing, the way his face was set in a pained grimace.

“The shield charm…” Soobin said, before Yeonjun could say anything.

“You can't hold it up?” Yeonjun asked, worriedly.

Soobin stayed silent for a while, before shaking his head and moving forward.

“I can do it. Come on, let's move faster.”

Yeonjun followed after, ignoring the way his head was spinning.

Soobin stopped once more at the top of the stairs and squinted, looking past the flames at the front door.

“Look.” He said, pointing. “There isn't too much fire over there right now. I'll drop the shield once we get there.”

“Okay…” Yeonjun muttered, nodding.

“Hopefully we'll be able to get out…”

They continued on their way. At some point, Soobin must have noticed how unsteady Yeonjun was on his feet, because he pulled him close, supporting most of his weight.

They walked like that, inching forward slowly, Soobin basically carrying the older boy, while Yeonjun tried desperately to make his feet move faster.

His mind was becoming increasingly sluggish and he knew they were running out of time.

“Come on, we're almost there. You're doing so well. Please don't cry, Hyung.”

Yeonjun hadn't even noticed the silent tears rolling down his cheeks until Soobin mentioned them. He wasn't trying to lose all hope in the situation but it ended up happening anyway.

They finally made it to the front door and Soobin tore it open, dropping the shield.

Yeonjun was about to step out when he heard a loud crack from above them.

Before he could even register what was happening, he felt Soobin push him out the door and as he tumbled out he felt a rush of deja Vu.

He tumbled out, his lungs coughing up everything he had inhaled. His vision was going dark, he couldn't stop coughing, he needed to stay awake,  _ Soobin was still in there. _

Lifting his head, he managed to stay conscious long enough to watch in horror as debris rained down on Soobin relentlessly, knocking him out.

And the rest was lost in flames as his eyes slowly slid shut.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hyung! Please wake up, Hyung!”

_ That… _

_ That was Beomgyu… _

_ Was he crying? _

_ Why was he crying? _

“Will he be ok?”

_ Kai… _

_ He was crying too… _

“Soobin Hyung is still in there! And we have no way to get him out!”

_ Taehyun… _

_ He sounded mad… _

_ But he was also crying… _

_ They couldn't get Soobin out. _

_ None of them knew any charms that would help them… _

_ Kai could try? _

“Hyung, I could try?”

“No, Kai! You have a damn concussion after you hit your head! We're not risking more lives!”

_ Why was Taehyun so mad? _

“The flames are almost out. Maybe he's still alive in there…”

“There's no way. It's all Yeonjun's fault. He killed Soobin. Soobin had to go back for him and now he's-”

_ Taehyun was probably right… _

_ It was his fault… _

“Hyung, please… We can't lose you too…”

Right at that moment, all the feeling came rushing back to him and he groaned in pain. His throat was still burning and he tried desperately to reel in his coughs, but at least the others got the memo that he was awake.

“Hyung…” Beomgyu sighed, helping the older boy sit up.

He rubbed his back gently as Yeonjun coughed harshly, his eyes still shut tight. Once he calmed down, he stayed doubled over, breathing heavily as he gathered himself.

“Hyung…” Kai's soft voice said. “Can you open your eyes for us?”

Yeonjun slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to bring everything into focus. Kai was sitting in front of him and Beomgyu was sitting next to him, a comforting hand still resting on his back.

Taehyun was standing a little distance away from them, arms crossed as he stared at the house in front of them.

They were a safe distance away from it, seated near the sidewalk, but Yeonjun could see that the flames were dying out slowly.

Taehyun turned suddenly, his sharp gaze trained on Yeonjun. Quick as a flash, he ran over and kneeled in front of Yeonjun, angry eyes staring at him.

“What did you do?” He asked, voice dangerously low.

Yeonjun was still completely disoriented and he had no idea how to respond to Taehyun's question. He'd gathered that he probably blamed him for Soobin but what had he done? 

“I… What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean!”

“Taehyun, calm down…” Beomgyu muttered, pushing the boy aside.

“I can't believe this…” Taehyun said, standing. “He clearly messed everything up and you guys are still siding with him.”

“We're  _ not _ siding with him, Hyung!” Kai yelled, suddenly, glaring at Taehyun. “The poor guy just came out of a fire, can you give him a break? We don't even know anything for sure yet!”

Taehyun stood there for a few seconds before shaking his head and walking towards the house.

“I'm gonna go look for him.” He said, shortly.

Beomgyu sighed as the boy walked away.

“Glad that’s over…” he muttered.

“W-why does he think I did something?” Yeonjun stuttered.

Kai sighed heavily, dropping his head in his hands.

“He’s been suspicious of you for some time. He told me at some point during the food fight.”

“It’s because of what you said , Hyung…” Beomgyu explained. “ About the Dream Realm.”

“He said you didn't look too happy when we said we didn't want to join you in trying to open it.” Kai said.

“And now he thinks you probably tried something and messed up with the dark magic.”

“Which made everything intensify just like Soobin Hyung said. That's why everything got out of hand during this whole thing. The food fight, the fire.” 

“Even when we were playing hide and seek, Taehyun got so mad at me for asking him what was wrong.” Beomgyu said.

“B-but I didn't!” Yeonjun said, desperately. “You've got to believe me! I wasn't even mad when you guys said no. I was just anxious about the entire mood in general.”

“You're right, the mood has been very off this entire time…” Beomgyu said.

“I swear I didn't do anything. You guys believe me, right?” Yeonjun asked, gazing at them pleadingly.

Kai sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“We'll take your word for it, Hyung.” Kai said.

“But that does create a problem…” Beomgyu muttered. “Because if you didn't do any dark magic… Then who did?”

“We can figure that out later. For now, we should get help for Hyung.” Kai said.

“I'm fine, you guys…” Yeonjun said.

Before any of them could say anything, Taehyun came running back towards them.

“He's not there…” He said shortly, not looking at any of them. “I'm going home.”

The three friends could only watch in despair as Taehyun ran off to his car and drove off.

“Not there? Where could he be? Did he get out somehow?” Beomgyu asked.

Yeonjun tried to speak but ended up coughing instead. He winced, his throat screaming in pain.

“Aish, this Hyung. Let's take him to the hospital.” Kai said.

Yeonjun shook his head as the coughs died down.

“They'll ask too many questions. We'll have to bring them back to the house and they'll probably take us to the police station. It'll be a whole thing. We should try to find a magic specialist.” He said.

Beomgyu frowned for a second before his face lit up, a hopeful glint in his eyes.

“I might know someone.”

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

_ Dancing fire at the end of the world... _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's the liar?👀👀
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	7. Invisible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not over PUMA it's so GOOODDD  
> Anyways onto the chapter!

_ Can't you hear it? _

_ My voice searching for you… _

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Soobin knew the minute he walked into the burning house that only one of them would leave. He knew it, but he still went inside.

How could he not? One of his best friends was in there, possibly suffocating to death.

And so when he heard the ceiling crack above them, he knew what he had to do.

Pushing Yeonjun out the door, he had only enough time to take a deep breath before the debris rained down on him.

Stars exploded across his vision as he heard the crack first before feeling as if a knife had just been driven into his skull.

As he collapsed onto the floor, he struggled to stay awake. Maybe he could still make it out…

But he knew that was impossible as everything went foggy around him.

He remembered thinking he absolutely _ had _ to get out of here.

He didn't want to die here.

There were still so many things he wanted to do…

With all his friends…

As Soobin felt his vision blurring more, he frowned slightly wondering if it was normal for smoke to turn red just before someone died.

In the end, it didn't matter as the red smoke completely covered his vision, his mind shutting down soon after.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The first thing he noticed was the darkness. It was heavier than normal as if the darkness was its own substance rather than just the absence of light.

It was suffocating and unrelenting, so dense that Soobin felt like he could reach out and touch it, finding it solid.

That is, if he could find the strength to move.

As he slowly came to his senses, the second thing he noticed was the cold.

His body shook with an involuntary shiver. His breath hitched in his throat as he trembled uncontrollably.

It was so cold he almost felt that his breath would turn into fog, if he was able to breathe properly.

Of course, as he soon realized, he  _ wasn't _ able to breathe properly. He felt like there were shards of glass stuck in his throat and every breath made him wince.

He moaned in pain, slightly shocked when the sound was seemingly swallowed up by the silence.

That was another thing he had failed to notice until now. The heavy silence pressing down on him from all sides.

Soobin didn't like it. 

He didn't like any of it.

The darkness, the cold, the silence.

He wanted it to stop.

He figured he could probably make the darkness go away, if he just opened his eyes. 

But did he really want to?

What if he was just met with more darkness?

He was so tired…

Everything hurt…

He couldn't remember where he was and why he was there….

That more than anything made Soobin finally decide to open his eyes. His curiosity got the better of him and he needed to find out what had happened.

Blinking slowly, he felt his heart sink a little when he was met with a dark room. But he waited for his eyes to adjust and eventually was able to make out some of the features of the room.

It was vaguely familiar and it only took Soobin a few seconds to recognize his living room. But it was different. So very different.

There was debris everywhere. Broken pieces of glass and the ceiling strewn across the floor. The sofas were reduced to deformed looking things covered in ash.

The house was completely empty. No one inside it but him.

As he gazed at everything, his memory slowly began to return and he remembered his last moments in the fire.

He had thought he was going to die. He had accepted his fate the minute he had stepped back inside.

But it turned out, he was wrong. He wasn't dead even though he felt pretty close to it,

Even though he was absolutely exhausted, Soobin was relieved he had managed to survive.

He wanted to make sure all his friends were ok, and he definitely didn't want to leave them like this.

And so, even though his entire body was screaming at him to not move, he forced his trembling arms beneath him and pushed himself into a sitting position.

He couldn't help the small groan that escaped his lips when he felt his head throb in pain.

Wincing, he pressed his palm against the back of his head, where the pain was the worst.

Bringing his hand back down, he sighed when he caught sight of the blood dripping from his fingers.

He definitely had a pretty bad concussion.

Shaking his head, he decided he needed to get moving. Standing slowly, he stumbled slightly when the room spun around him.

He closed his eyes, trying to find some sort of balance before he started moving.

Opening his eyes, he squinted against the darkness and smoke which had still not completely dispersed, trying to find the front door. Just when he had located it and was about to start moving towards it, he heard muffled voices right outside.

Very familiar muffled voices.

“I'm gonna see if I can find him.”

_ Beomgyu. _

“I wanna come too!”

_ Yeonjun. _

“Hyung, you should wait out here with me. You've already inhaled enough smoke.”

_ Kai. _

Soobin sighed in relief that the three were alright. But… Where was Taehyun?

Before he could think about it any longer, the doorknob turned slowly and in walked Beomgyu. 

Soobin allowed himself a small smile as he began walking towards him, but something stopped him in his tracks.

There was a sort of red fog surrounding the boy's body. It was faint but it was definitely there. What's more was that Beomgyu didn't seem to notice it.

Soobin vaguely remembered seeing that red smoke just before he had passed out.

Just then, Beomgyu turned and stared right at him. And Soobin would've called out to him, but the only problem was that Beomgyu's expression remained as hopeless as before.

“Soobin Hyung!” He yelled.

Or at least, Soobin assumed he had yelled from the way he cupped his hands around his mouth. To Soobin, it sounded as if Beomgyu was barely speaking above a whisper.

But that was the least of his concerns right now.

Because apparently, Beomgyu couldn't see him. 

But Soobin could see Beomgyu just fine.

Maybe if he…

“Beomgyu!” He tried yelling, but again his voice was snatched away from him by the unrelenting silence.

Soobin stepped forward, a panicked sort of anxiety making its way to his heart. Why couldn't he see or hear him?

When he was close enough to Beomgyu, he reached out to touch the boy, and his hand went…  _ through him _ .

Soobin flinched backward, his eyes wide.

_ Wow, I'm actually dead… _

No, no, he couldn't be dead! This wasn't right! He didn't feel dead at all!

But that was the only explanation…

He watched in hopeless despair as Beomgyu ran around the entire house, screaming his name.

He wanted nothing more than to scream back because he was  _ right there. _

Eventually, Beomgyu had tired himself out and Soobin watched as the boy trudged back to the front door, a few silent tears wandering down his cheeks.

“Taehyun was right…” He muttered as he stepped outside.

Soobin could see Yeonjun and Kai standing there, their eyes filled with sorrow, their bodies covered with the same red smoke as Beomgyu.

“He's not there?” Yeonjun asked in a small voice.

Beomgyu merely shook his head.

“Come on, you guys. Let's go…” Beomgyu muttered morosely.

“No wait…” Soobin gasped, his breath catching in his throat as his mind became clouded with anxiety.

He slipped out the door just before Beomgyu pulled it shut.

He shivered as the cold increased tenfold, but ignored it for the time being, his entire being focused on his friends.

“Are you sure he wasn't there?” Kai asked as the three began to walk away.

“Yes, I looked everywhere. I even called his name a few times. He wasn't there…”

“I'm right here…” Soobin muttered hopelessly. “Can't you see me?”

And Soobin could only watch as the three continued on their way, heads bowed in sorrow.

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

Beomgyu sighed as he sat in the waiting area with Kai, waiting for news about Yeonjun's condition.

He had almost passed out again on their way to the hospital, his lungs deprived of oxygen from yet another terrible coughing fit.

Lucky for them, the boy had held on for a bit longer and they got him safely to the hospital.

Beomgyu wasn't sure at first if his friend would be willing to help them, since he hadn't seen him in two years, but Jeongin had been delighted to see him and determined to help.

Jeongin had graduated before him and gone on to become a doctor in Seoul Central Hospital. From Beomgyu's understanding, none of his co-workers knew he was a wizard.

Not because it was something to hide of course. No, their society wasn't like that. There wasn't a divide or a need to hide from normal humans. Everyone accepted everyone.

But the problem was, Jeongin just didn't have any friends here. Or at least, that's what he had told Beomgyu.

From the way everyone greeted him politely, bestowing him with bright smiles, it seemed like Jeongin was either lying or was just a people magnet.

Glancing over at Kai, Beomgyu thought Jeongin and Kai were quite similar if the latter turned out to be true.

“Hey, Beomgyu.”

Beomgyu's head shot up at the sound of Jeongin's voice. He looked up at him, standing there there with a small smile on his face.

“How is he?” Beomgyu asked hesitantly.

“He'll be fine.” Jeongin said. “He's a strong boy. He's resting a bit for now, but you might wanna make sure he doesn't do anything strenuous for awhile. His lungs took quite the hit but if he's careful he can make a quick recovery.”

Beomgyu sighed, glancing over at Kai, the two sharing a relieved smile.

Beomgyu watched as Jeongin took a seat next to them. He sat silently for a while, before fixing a thoughtful stare on the two.

“If you don't mind my asking… How did he end up like that?”

Beomgyu sighed, dropping his head in his hands.

“Oh, it's so complicated, bro…”

“I have time…” Jeongin replied.

Fixing his gaze on the boy, Beomgyu decided it should be ok to tell him what had happened.

“Well… Do you remember my other friends?”

“Hmmm…” Jeongin stared at the ground, counting on his fingers. “There were five of you. Yeonjun, Kai,... Soobin and Taehyun… And you.”

He looked up at Beomgyu. 

“Right?”

Beomgyu nodded, confirming his statement. He went on to explain how he, Kai and Yeonjun had moved to America last year and how they were all here to visit the other two.

“Things got really weird, really fast.” He continued, telling him all about what had gone down, trying his best not to leave anything out in case Jeongin had a solution.

“Soobin was left inside…?” Jeongin asked, his eyes wide and sympathetic.

“Yeah… We think he…” Beomgyu dropped his gaze, not wanting to say the word.

“No, no…” Jeongin said, shaking his head and standing. “I think he's still alive.”

Beomgyu lifted his head, trying not to hope.

“But, how?” Kai asked, speaking for the first time since they got here.

“I'm not really sure, but… Something about the situation you're telling me sounds familiar. I don't wanna jump to any conclusions though, so here's what we're gonna do.”

Jeongin paused, gathering his thoughts before he looked back at the boys.

“After Yeonjun wakes up, we'll go pay my friend Bang Chan a visit. He'll probably know what's up and how to fix it.”

“Wait, Bang Chan? Why does that name sound familiar?” Beomgyu wondered.

“Bang Chan?” Kai questioned. “As in… The leader of Stray Kids?”

Beomgyu gasped and stared up at him wide eyed.

“You're friends with the  _ leader of Stray Kids?! _ ” He said in disbelief.

Jeongin grinned widely, pleased with the reaction.

“Not just friends with him. I'm a member of his team.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Wait, wait, wait, so lemme get this straight.” Beomgyu said, still unable to believe it two hours later.

They were seated in Jeongin's car, on their way to Chan’s house. Beomgyu was sitting up front with Jeongin while Kai and Yeonjun sat in the back.

Yeonjun was still drowsy from the medicine he had been taking and was begging Beomgyu to quiet down so he could go back to sleep.

Beomgyu apologized each time, but his curiosity was simply too overpowering.

“How long have you been in the team?” He asked.

“Four years.” Jeongin replied.

“So in 2016? Back when Stray Kids had to find us when we got into that car accident? When we couldn't participate in the Dream Olympics?”

Something shifted in Jeongin's expression, but Beomgyu couldn't exactly place it. It was a sort of recognition and understanding which was understandable. Jeongin had visited the boys when the accident had happened. But there was something else in his expression that Beomgyu couldn't figure out.

“Yup, that's when.”

“But how come you never told us? You even visited us that day.”

“That was the day I joined. I didn't think it was right to tell you guys then. After that we just got busy with our own things and even when we hung out it just never came up.”

“Wow, that's crazy Jeonginnie…” Beomgyu muttered. “ I never knew I was friends with such a cool guy this entire time…”

Jeongin grinned happily as he turned into Chan's driveway.

“If you think I'm cool, just wait until you meet Chan Hyung.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Wait, Yeonjun, could you explain that bit once more?”

The five boys were sitting in Chan's living room, and Beomgyu couldn't help but agree with Jeongin's earlier statement.

Chan  _ was _ a pretty cool guy. He seemed like a real detective, listening intently to every detail of the story, asking all the right questions at the right time.

He was currently listening to Yeonjun's side of the story after listening to both Kai and Beomgyu's side.

“So the flames were yours but were out of your control?” Chan asked, thoughtfully.

Yeonjun nodded in confirmation.

“Ok, so I think I know what happened to your friend…” Chan said after a while.

The three boys leaned forward, intent on hearing what had happened to Soobin.

“He's not dead… I think he's in the Dream Realm…”

“So the Dream Realm  _ does _ exist?” Yeonjun asked.

“Yes, and many people have accessed it before, either through dark magic, or in a time of desperate need.” Jeongin said.

“But if that's true, then why is it a myth? Why has no one come out and said they've accessed it?” Beomgyu wondered.

“Well, that's because anyone who's ever been inside, forgets all about it once they get out. Of course, there are exceptions but I don't think something like that has happened yet.” Chan explained.

The three boys were more confused than ever but they decided it didn't matter. What mattered right now was that they knew where Soobin was and they had just the people to get him out.

“Well, forget all that. You can get him out, right?”

“Hmmm…” Chan sat thoughtfully for a while, his expression dropping slightly.

“I don't think I can…” He said, carefully, his expression sympathetic.

“But how come?!” Kai asked, rising from his seat. “Didn't you guys take that group of kids out a few years ago? It was all over the news!”

“Well, yes…” Chan said slowly. “But there are certain… Complications with this case.”

“I bet you didn't save those kids!” Kai said, suddenly, his anger rising to the surface. “You're not real magic detectives! The only thing you're good at was rescuing us from that car crash! Why can't you get my Hyung out?! How complicated can it be?!”

“Yikes…” Beomgyu muttered, gently taking the boy's arm and dragging him back down on the couch.

Kai didn't resist but kept his angry gaze on Chan. Beomgyu stroked his arm comfortingly while Yeonjun out an arm around the boy. Both Beomgyu and Yeonjun turned dark glares towards Chan as well.

Because what Kai had said made sense. Why couldn't they get Soobin out? Was that story from years ago just a lie to get publicity?

“I think we should tell you guys the truth about that story…” Chan said, slowly, glancing at Jeongin who nodded encouragingly.

_ Here it comes… This is where they'll tell us it was all a ruse… That they're not magic specialists and can't get Soobin out, period. _

Beomgyu was definitely  _ not _ expecting what came next.

“We did take those kids out. There were different circumstances but…”

“It was the day you guys got into that accident in 2016…” Jeongin said.

“Except, if you look into the police records of that day, you'll find that there  _ was _ no car accident…” Chan continued.

Beomgyu frowned. What were they trying to get at?

“Those kids we rescued from the Dream Realm back in 2016… Those kids… Were you five…”

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_ Once again, I'm left alone… _

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀👀
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	8. Hidden Complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, I'm so late...  
> This was supposed to be up a couple days ago...  
> Hopefully I can make up for it with the sheer size of this chapter  
> Before this, chapter 1 was the longest with nearly 4000 words.  
> I honestly don't know how it happened, but this chapter is over double that size with just over 8000 words  
> I got a little carried away it seems...😅  
> I considered cutting it short but I'm sure some of you have noticed that I have officially decided on the number of chapters in this story. I wanted to stick with that number so here it is!  
> I hope you enjoy this monster of a chapter!😅

_Can't you see me?_

_Like on that magical day, say believe me…_

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Silence.

Absolute pin drop silence followed Chan's words.

Beomgyu tilted his head in confusion, unable to believe his ears, because surely he had misheard.

The five of them had never been in the Dream Realm, or they would have… Remembered…

“I know you're thinking you'd probably remember…” Chan said. “But like I said before, the minute you're out, you forget everything…”

Beomgyu shook his head, keeping a tight grip on Kai's hand.

He didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be true. What reason would they have to access the Dream Realm? What was so important that they had to miss the Olympics?

Or was it an accident?

The more Beomgyu thought about it, the more sense it made.

Why no one could find them in time...

Why none of them actually remembered being in a car accident…

Why there was a gap in each and every one of their memories from that day…

The last thing Beomgyu remembered was their trip to the magic island. 

“How…?” Yeonjun whispered from beside him.

Chan sighed heavily, sharing a look with Jeongin.

“It's not a very complicated story in all honesty, but maybe Jeongin should tell it…”

Jeongin glanced at Chan, taking a deep breath.

“Alright, so… It was the day I joined Stray Kids…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_“Hey Jeonginnie, did you hear?” Chan asked as he ran down the stairs in excitement._

_“Oh yeah…” Jeongin said, grinning. “The Dream Olympics are gonna be aired on TV this year.”_

_“Not only that! We've been offered a position on the team! They're letting us be in charge of signing in the participants and instructing them. And we'll be the main commentators! And of course, deal with any mishaps that may occur.”_

_“Oh, nice!” Jeongin said. “One of my friends and his team are participating. I haven't seen him in weeks! Maybe I'll get to say hi before the competition starts.”_

_“Oh really? What team is he in?” Chan asked, coming to sit next to the boy._

_Jeongin grinned proudly as he glanced at Chan._

_“Guess…”_

_“Alright, it can't be TXT…” Chan said, already knocking the famous team off the list._

_Jeongin laughed out loud, prompting Chan to glance at him in disbelief._

_“What? No way, man. Are you serious?” He asked, incredulously as he caught on to what the boy was hinting at._

_“Yup! Beomgyu is one of my friends. I was friends with him before they started participating.”_

_“Wow… that’s insane! Can I meet them too?” Chan asked, wide eyed._

_“Haha, sure!”_

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_“Hey, is everyone here?” Felix asked Jeongin._

_Jeongin frowned as he glared at the paper in front of him._

_“There's a few more teams left. Itzy, Oneus, and TXT…”_

_“Really?” Minho asked, overhearing the conversation. “TXT isn't here? The Olympics start in a couple hours…”_

_“Ah, yeah, don't worry they'll be here.” Jeongin said, reassuringly._

_“Are you sure?” Felix asked._

_“Yeah, they always come like half an hour before the Olympics.” Jeongin said._

_“What?” Jisung asked, walking over. “How come? I mean I'm not trying to be judgmental but… Isn't that kind of irresponsible? Don't they have a ‘monster rookie’ image to uphold?”_

_Jeongin sighed, nodding._

_“They have this little tradition of visiting the magic island from the 2014 Olympics before and after every competition… But don't worry, they'll make it in time…”_

_“Hmm I sure hope so…” Felix muttered as the rest of them continued their tasks._

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_“These girls gave everyone a run for their money last year and we're very excited to see how they brave the challenges this time! Please welcome, ITZY!”_

_Jeongin anxiously glanced at the clock. There were only 15 minutes left until the Olympics started and there was still no sign of TXT. He had tried calling Beomgyu several times, only to be sent straight to voicemail each time._

_“Hey, Jeongin!”_

_Jeongin turned to see Seungmin and Hyunjin walking towards him, twin expressions of worry on their faces._

_“Is TXT still not here?” Seungmin asked._

_Jeongin shook his head, tapping his fingers against the desk impatiently. Above him was a TV screen displaying the reporters speaking to each team, getting closer and closer to where TXT should've been standing._

_“Hey Jeonginnie!”_

_Jeongin sighed as Changbin came running up behind Seungmin and Hyunjin._

_“Minho Hyung is asking if he should still announce TXT or not…”_

_“Ugh…” Jeongin groaned in frustration, running a hand through his hair. He glanced up at the screen where Itzy was currently talking about how they were going to try their hardest to win this time._

_“Um, yeah. Announce them… People are watching and they're expecting TXT… Just have him say they're running a little late…” Jeongin replied._

_Changbin nodded wordlessly, and ran back to where he came from._

_“We've gotta get going, Jeonginnie, but Chan said to keep trying to call them.” Hyunjin told him as the two began to walk away as well._

_“Ok…” Jeongin sighed._

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_“Channie, please just gimme 5 more minutes…” Jeongin begged._

_Chan sighed and shook his head._

_“I'm sorry, the higher ups aren't letting me…” He muttered._

_“Let_ me _talk to the higher ups!” Jeongin pleaded._

_“Who wants to talk to us?”_

_Jeongin peeked behind Chan's shoulder to see two men walking towards them._

_Chan turned around as well and immediately greeted the two._

_“Ah, Jackson, Jinyoung…”_

_“Hello, Chan. Are we ready to go?”_

_“Ah, well-”_

_“Please, can we just have 5 more minutes?” Jeongin begged, clasping his hands together._

_One of the men glanced over at Jeongin and smiled._

_“Jeongin right? I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Jinyoung.” He said, reaching his hand forward._

_Jeongin frowned slightly, thinking this was definitely not the time for an introduction but shook the man's hand anyway._

_“Now...” Jinyoung said. “I'm assuming this has to do with TXT's absence?”_

_Jeongin nodded desperately._

_The other man, Jackson, sighed and dropped his gaze._

_“Jeongin, we would love to continue waiting, but we've already delayed the competition by 10 minutes. People are getting impatient and we simply cannot wait any longer.” He said._

_“But since this does create a problem…” Jinyoung said. “We're going to have the 8 of you find out what happened and why they're not here. I've a bad feeling about this and we might have to cover it up, so be sure to let us know what's happening before anyone else.”_

_Jeongin's heart sank, but he decided it was time to accept the inevitable._

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_Naturally, the first place they'd check would be the magic island._

_And Jeongin would've never expected the absolute chaos they found there._

_First of all, when they entered, it was unrealistically hot. Not five minutes inside the forest, and Jeongin was already sweating bullets._

_As they wandered deeper into the forest, Jeongin immediately recognized the unmistakable smell of smoke._

_Without a word, Seungmin, who was their fastest man, dashed forward, disappearing into the forest._

_The rest of them rushed forward as well, and at some point Minho gasped, saying that Seungmin had just telepathically informed him that he had found the boys in the middle of a raging fire._

_The rest was a blur as the team finally made it to the epicenter of the flames._

_“Jeongin, take it out!” Chan yelled._

_Jeongin nodded obediently and immediately began expelling water from his hands, attacking the flames._

_At some point, he caught sight of the five boys curled up against a tree. When he looked closer, he noticed that most of the boys were out of commission. Still awake but too weak to help. Only Beomgyu and one other were still aware and trying to fight the flames._

_Beomgyu’s eyes suddenly met Jeongin’s and he couldn't help but flinch at the fear in the younger boy's eyes._

_“Jeongin, please hurry!” The boy shouted desperately. “Yeonjun and I can't hold off the flames much longer!”_

_And Jeongin tried so hard to put out the flames that night, but no matter how much he tried, the flames just wouldn't give up._

_Eventually, when the flames did die down on their own, there was no sign of the boys anywhere._

_They looked everywhere, until Chan suddenly had a realization._

_“They're in the Dream Realm…” Chan stated._

_“Are you sure? Isn't that a myth?” Jeongin asked._

_“It's not, but I'll explain later. For now, I need to open it so I can get them out.” Chan said, before closing his eyes and muttering the incantation._

_“_ Enter clade, enter malum…”

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

_The rest of the night went by in a blur. Chan had successfully taken the boys out of the Dream Realm, but all five of them were unconscious and in dire need of a hospital._

_Jeongin waited hours for them to wake up and when they finally did, he found that none of them remembered anything about being in the Dream Realm._

_“I remember the island… And… A fire…” Beomgyu had muttered tiredly. “We were playing with the fireworks and sparklers and things got a little out of hand… I was so scared, Hyung. I just remember thinking that I didn't wanna die… There are so many things I wanna do with my friends… And I just remember thinking that I_ had to _get out of there somehow… Thanks for saving me, Hyung…”_

_And Jackson and Jinyoung had regretfully informed them that that sort of information couldn't get out. It would cause too many questions, too many stories that people would spread. And the bigger reason… The boys may not be allowed to participate again if word got out about their carelessness._

_And so, with a heavy heart, Minho had erased the fire from the boys' minds. And Jeongin could only watch silently as Chan fed them lies about a simple car accident._

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

“We all regret lying to you guys back then…” Jeongin sighed.

“But seeing how you were able to participate and win for the next three years, we thought… At least something good came out of it…” Chan said.

“I wish you never had to find out like this…” Jeongin said.

“I wish it never happened…” Beomgyu whispered.

“But I guess no matter how much we don't remember about that night…” Yeonjun muttered. “History is destined to repeat itself…”

“But does that mean…” Kai said. “When we get Soobin Hyung out… He won't remember being inside?”

Chan shook his head.

“That's where the hidden complications come into play… I know we just dropped a huge bomb on you guys, but…”

Kai shook his head, immediately.

“I'm sure we can all ignore that until we figure out the current mess we're in….” Kai said.

The other two nodded in agreement. Even though it was a huge revelation for them, they still had a crisis on their hands that needed their attention.

“Alright then…” Chan continued. “So basically, we were able to take you guys out before, because the Realm wasn't opened until the very moment you guys accessed it. Now, opening it willingly and accessing it unintentionally are two different things.”

“When you access it unintentionally, anyone else can still enter it willingly or on accident.” Jeongin said.”But when you open it willingly, it's like you've put a lock on the whole system. Now, no one else will be able to reopen it but you.”

“That's the first rule about the Dream Realm.”Chan stated. “The second rule is that if you open it and don't close it right away, everything intensifies.”

“Aha! That's what Soobin Hyung said!” Kai said.

“Right. He probably heard it as a rumor somewhere, but it's actually true. From what you told us about what happened at Soobin's place, it seems like it had already been opened by someone…” Chan said.

“Well, Taehyun suspected Yeonjun…” Kai said.

“But he claims not to have done anything…” Beomgyu said.

“I really didn't, you guys…” Yeonjun muttered. 

“Well, regardless of what you guys say, we'll have to take you all to see Felix. He's the only one of us who can sense traces of dark magic. I completely believe you guys when you say you didn't do it, but we still have to get you checked. I hope you understand…” Chan said, his expression apologetic.

“Yeah, I get it…” Yeonjun replied.

He understood Chan's need to confirm. After all, this was a huge situation that shouldn't be taken lightly.

“Alright then, that brings us to Kai's question and the third rule. Will Soobin remember?” Jeongin said. “Yes he will… If you access the Realm when it's already been opened, you end up retaining all your memories. It's like a lock or a charm that's been lifted.” 

“The Dream Realm is like an alternate universe that exists alongside ours. In order to keep the two separate, it erases the memories of normal people who have been inside. But when someone willingly opens it, that action throws the whole system into disarray, making things intensify, keeping memories intact, and blocking off the gates for everyone but a single person.” Chan said.

“I really hope this isn't too confusing….” Jeongin muttered.

“I mean…” Beomgyu said slowly. “It _is_ super confusing… But I think I understand most of it.”

“Basically…” Yeonjun said. “You can't get him out because you weren't the one who opened it. And since it was already opened, Soobin will remember everything….”

“Yup that's basically the gist of it.” Chan confirmed.

“Alright…” Yeonjun said, rising to his feet. “Take us to Felix.”

“Are you sure?” Chan asked, looking at the three of them worriedly. “So soon? Shouldn't you guys rest or something?”

“We've rested enough.” Beomgyu said, coming to stand next to his Hyung. 

“The sooner we can get Soobin Hyung out, the better.” Kai said, joining his Hyungs.

Chan and Jeongin shared a look, surprised by the boys’ determination.

“Alright then, if you guys are so sure…” Chan said, standing. 

“Let's get going.” Jeongin said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, how come it's taking so long?” Beomgyu whined for the fifth time.

Yeonjun and Kai laughed at the boy's impatience. It had been a little over an hour since they'd been at Felix's house and the two of them had already been through the process and were in the clear.

Neither of them had any traces of dark magic. Now it was Beomgyu's turn but he was having a hard time sitting still.

The process was pretty simple. All they had to do was sit across from Felix and keep their eyes shut. From there, Felix would take their hands in his and delve into their minds and auras, searching for dark magic.

But Beomgyu seemed to miss the memo and continuously cracked open his eyes to see if Felix was done or not.

“Ugh, Beomgyu…” Jeongin muttered from where he stood off to the side. “Why are you so…”

“Hey! It's not fair! The other two didn't have to sit this long…” Beomgyu muttered.

“Beomgyu, how many times do I have to tell you? Just keep your eyes shut!”

Yeonjun and Kai couldn't stop laughing at the annoyance in Jeongin‘s tone, all while Chan stood smiling at the chaos and Felix finally opened his own eyes, laughing softly.

“It's ok, you did well, Beomgyu…” Felix said, smiling as he rose to his feet. “You're in the clear. No dark magic.”

“Aha! See, Felix Hyung said I did well.” Beomgyu said, triumphantly leaping off his chair and grinning at Jeongin.

Jeongin didn't say anything, only sighed heavily before smiling softly at the boy.

“How do you deal with this kid?” He asked Yeonjun.

Yeonjun grinned and opened his mouth to respond but Beomgyu beat him to it.

“He doesn't, he just laughs at me.” He stated.

Yeonjun burst into laughter at that, while Kai grinned and nodded in agreement.

“Actually, Jeongin Hyung, you should be asking how _we_ deal with _him._ He's the Hyung, but half the time he acts like he's the maknae.”

“Honestly, I think you _all_ act like maknaes…” Felix said, inciting another wave of laughter.

The bright mood made everyone feel lighter and while the mental break was welcome, it was also essential that they solve the issue at hand as fast as possible.

Chan didn't want to do it, but eventually he had to call everyone to attention.

“Alright everyone…” He said once he had their attention. “Now that we've checked the three of you... There's one more person that we're missing…”

“Right.” Yeonjun said. “Soobin gave me Taehyun's address too when we arrived just in case.”

“Ok then, let's go get him.” Kai said, leading the way out of Felix's house.

“We'll see you guys in a bit!” Beomgyu said, following his friends out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Soobin had no idea how long he had been walking or where he was even going at this point.

Lost in thought, he wandered the streets of Seoul aimlessly, wondering how things came to be this way.

His vision was blurred with constant tears, his mind was tangled with confused thoughts.

No matter how many circles he ran in his mind, the only two possibilities he was coming up with was that he was either dead or had somehow unlocked an alternate universe.

And there was only one alternate universe that he knew of.

The Dream Realm.

But did it really exist? Was Taehyun right to believe in it?

He remembered that moment. The moment when Taehyun had said they should try opening it.

Soobin had a hard time believing that that moment was just this morning.

When he had gotten the call from Yeonjun two weeks ago, he never would've thought their reunion would end like this.

The minute all five of them were in his house, he knew something bad was going to happen. He _knew_ it.

But even though he knew things would end badly, he couldn't regret it. If he had known things would end this way, he'd still do this all over again.

Because nothing could replace the feeling he felt deep in his heart when the five of them were together. Nothing could replace the bright smiles on everyone's faces.

He would go through all of this all over again if it meant being able to see Yeonjun's childlike smile, hearing Kai's screeching laugh, and being in Beomgyu's energetic presence.

And the way Taehyun's face had lit up when the five of them were finally together. 

Soobin had always wanted to see all his friends together and happy again.

Sighing, he wished things had stayed that way…

His mind was going through all the moments they'd had together like it was swiping through a camera roll, and Soobin made no effort to stem the wave of tears that came with it.

Maybe if people could see and hear him he'd try to hide his tears, but it had been hours and no one had noticed him.

Soobin didn't bother dodging people and just let them walk through him most of the time. Every time someone walked through him, the biting cold vanished for a split second, replaced by a welcoming warmth.

That's why Soobin immediately noticed when the people slowly began to decrease.

Lifting his head, he wiped the tears away from his eyes, blinking against the pressing darkness to see where he had ended up.

A graveyard…

_Fitting… ,_ he thought sourly. _Since I'm dead…_

He slowly walked in, carefully watching the few people who had come to visit their departed loved ones.

Soobin frowned as he began to notice that some of the people weren't surrounded with the hazy red smoke he was so used to seeing at this point. Some people had a faint blue glow emanating from their bodies instead.

_Ah, these must be the other dead people… Maybe I should say hi?_

Soobin almost laughed at how calmly he was taking all of this. But in all honesty, he still didn't know if he was dreaming or not.

Even if he wasn't and this was very much real, he seemed to have lost the ability to feel anything but a deep rooted sorrow.

Soobin watched sadly as a living woman knelt beside a gravestone, weeping bitterly. A young man, who Soobin assumed must have been the woman's son at some point in his life, stared at her continuously, silent tears streaming down his own cheeks.

Soobin shook his head and turned away, not wanting to intrude on them.

As he continued walking, he noticed some of the dead wandering around aimlessly, just like him. Some of them glanced at him and made eye contact, nodding in acknowledgement and moving on quickly.

Soobin was at once relieved and anxious that the dead people seemed to see him. He was tempted to speak to one of them, or touch them, just to assure himself that he wasn't dreaming, but he didn't want to scare them away.

And so he continued on his way, nodding back to the people at times. 

This continued on for some time until Soobin began noticing a pattern. All of the dead people had blue eyes. He wished he had his phone or a mirror or _something_ so he could find out if his own eyes were blue.

But since he didn't have anything, any clue what to do, he just kept walking.

And walking…

And walking…

Soobin was way past crying at this point and was just about ready to fall to his knees and scream at the universe for putting him in this situation.

He begged for a familiar face, a familiar voice, _anything._

As it turned out, sometimes the universe _does_ listen to you. Because the next thing Soobin knew, someone had crashed into him harshly, making him lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Soobin shook his head, and dusted himself off. 

_Must have been a dead person…_

That meant the dead people couldn't walk through him. So he must be dead as well, right?

“I'm so sorry, are you alright?”

“Ah yeah…”

Soobin frowned slightly. He hadn't lifted his head yet, but the voice sounded vaguely familiar. A voice from the deep recesses of his past.

“Here…”

A hand came into his line of vision and Soobin took it carefully, allowing the stranger to help him up.

When Soobin finally stood and made eye contact with the person, he definitely wasn't expecting the familiar, yet so different, blue eyes staring back at him.

Soobin gasped and instinctively pulled his hand away. He didn't want to be rude but it seemed that the man standing before him had pretty much the same reaction, his blue eyes widening as he took a step back.

“Soobin…?” The man muttered.

“ _Yugyeom?!”_ Soobin said, unable to believe his eyes.

But there was no mistaking the face, the inquisitive eyes, the jet black hair.

Jaebum’s little brother was standing in front of him. The one that had died two years ago.

“ _You’re dead too?!”_ Yugyeom yelled, catching Soobin off guard.

“What?! No! I- well- maybe?” Soobin stuttered, still not over the fact that he was talking to _Yugyeom._

“Ah, wait…” Yugyeom said, stepping a little closer. “You're not dead. Your eyes are still brown.”

“What!? Really?!” Soobin put his hand over his heart, sighing heavily in relief. “Oh thank goodness…”

“So, what are you doing here?” Yugyeom asked, smiling slightly as he continued walking.

“I- um…” Soobin stuttered as he rushed to catch up with the older boy. “I- I'm kinda here on… Accident?”

“Really? Explain it to me.” The boy said.

“Ah, ok…” Soobin said.

He tried his best to explain what had happened, but he couldn't seem to focus. All he could think about was how he was talking to a dead person.

How do you act around a dead person when you're still blessed enough to be alive?

“Hey, talk comfortably bro.” Yugyeom said suddenly.

“I- ok, I'll try…”

Yugyeom grinned as he glanced over at the boy.

“You always were shy around new people… I'm not a new person though, so what's the problem, Soobinnie?” Yugyeom asked gently.

Soobin shook his head, not wanting to say the wrong thing.

Yugyeom tilted his head, smiling.

“Being dead doesn't mean you stop living, you know… As ironic as it sounds… I _do_ have a life here… I have friends and everything. My mom's here too, so I'm really happy. I know it must be awkward for you, but please don't think that being dead is a bad thing. Sure there are some things we can't do that living people can but it's not that bad. Death is just… The next step in a long journey.”

Soobin smiled, somewhat embarrassed that he had been so transparent.

“You make it sound so easy… I've only been here for a few hours and I was already on the verge of a breakdown when you ran into me.”

“It wasn't easy in the beginning… But after a couple months, you learn to move on.” Yugyeom admitted, continuing to walk. “I… Still miss my Hyung sometimes. But I hope he doesn't miss me too much…”

“He still talks about you, but I think he's ok…” Soobin said, reassuringly. “He… Used to blame us for your death, you know?”

Yugyeom winced and shook his head.

“Well, I'm glad he doesn't anymore… Blaming someone never heals the pain. It's up to you to move on…”

Soobin nodded, wondering if death also made people wiser beyond their years.

“Anyways moving on…” Yugyeom said, turning to the boy. “We still have to figure out how to get you back to your friends. Can you run me through the story once more?”

Soobin nodded and immediately began recounting the story once more. While he did so, he silently marveled at how attentive the boy was. Soobin's heart began to lift a little. Maybe he would be able to make it out with Yugyeom’s help.

“Someone opened it before the fire even started…” Yugyeom said, speaking slowly, a frown on his face.

“A-are you sure?” Soobin asked. 

The only people who had been in his house were the five of them. He really hoped none of his friends had tried to open it without letting anyone know. Taehyun and Yeonjun seemed like the only people who would, since they brought up the topic of conversation. But since Taehyun had changed his views, it was leaning more towards it being Yeonjun.

But why would _any_ of the five try something like that?

“Mhmm…” Yugyeom confirmed. “From what you're telling me, it seemed like Yeonjun's magic was intensified. Meaning someone opened it and left it like that…”

Soobin shook his head, his mind trying to wrap itself around the complicated concept. He groaned in frustration deciding he didn't care at the moment who opened it and who hadn't. He just had to find out how to get out.

“Alright well…” Soobin muttered. “Is there a way out?”

“There is.” Yugyeom said, nodding. “But for that, we'll need to figure out who opened it. Only the person who opened the Realm can take you out, Soobin.”

“But how are we gonna figure that out?” Soobin asked, his tone desperate.

“I wouldn't waste too much time on that, since it'll be super hard for us to get information.” Yugyeom said. “For now we should figure out how to get a message to your friends so they know you're not dead. Once they know what happened, we can leave it to them to find our culprit.”

Soobin nodded, agreeing to his idea. The only problem was… How would they get a message to the boys?

“I know what you're thinking.” Yugyeom said, grinning at the boy. “How are we gonna get a message to them? Well, if I can just find my cat, I'll show you a cool trick…”

“Cat?” Soobin muttered as he continued following the boy into a thick forest.

“Hey, Iris! Where are you, girl!?”

“Iris?”

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Soobin for some reason.

“Yes, Iris! There she is! Come here girl!” Yugyeom knelt down, a huge smile on his face as a familiar cat suddenly ran into his open arms.

“Ah…” Soobin knelt down beside Yugyeom, realizing why the name sounded familiar.

“Isn't that Jaebum's cat?”

“Well, yes, technically…” Yugyeom muttered, cuddling the small black cat in his arms. “But Iris likes me better. Don't you, girl?”

The cat purred softly, seemingly confirming the boy's statement.

“But how did you know that?” Yugyeom asked, glancing at Soobin.

Soobin quickly explained how Jaebum had put Taehyun in charge of taking care of the cat while he was out of town.

“Oh really? Iris doesn't need people to take care of her though… As you can see she just does whatever the heck she wants and visits me all the time.”

“Wait so… Cats can see dead people?” Soobin asked suddenly.

“Most animals can actually. Animals have a foot in each world, but most only interact with living people. Iris here is a little different. She can help me communicate with living people.”

“Do you talk to Jaebum a lot then?” Soobin asked.

Yugyeom winced at that question and sighed.

“I did… Jaebum told me to stop because he couldn't stand hearing my voice… He couldn't stand knowing that I was dead and still hearing my voice like I was standing right in front of him. I respected his opinion and left him alone…”

Soobin glanced at him, his expression turning sympathetic.

“I'm sorry…” He muttered.

“Don't be.” Yugyeom said, shaking his head. “It’s not just me. That's the case with most people. Of course, most people don't have a means of communication. But those who do, tend to not use it for the same reasons Jaebum had.”

They sat in silence for a minute, before Yugyeom shook his head once more and turned to Soobin.

“Anyways, there's no point in dwelling on things we can't change right?”

Soobin nodded solemnly.

“Now let's focus on what we _can_ change.” Yugyeom said, setting his cat down on the ground.

“Iris, listen to me carefully.” He whispered to the cat.

Soobin watched in awe as the cat turned to Yugyeom, her multicolored eyes glowing as she focused on him.

“I need you to deliver a message to…” Yugyeom glanced at Soobin.

“Ah, Choi Yeonjun.” He said.

“Choi Yeonjun.” Yugyeom said, turning back to the cat. “Soobin is going to tell you what to say, ok? He's a friend.”

The cat blinked, her gaze never wavering.

“Ok, Soobin, hold your hand out.” Yugyeom said.

Soobin did so, watching in silence as Iris turned to him and placed her paw gently on his open palm.

“Ok, say your thing now. Don't be nervous.” Yugyeom said, smiling encouragingly.

Soobin took a deep breath, focusing on the cat's eyes and began to relay his message.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Maybe knock again?” Beomgyu muttered.

He shivered against the cold night air, wondering why it was taking Taehyun so long to answer the door.

Yeonjun knocked once more, his expression twisting in impatience.

“I'm _this_ close to just charming it open…” Beomgyu muttered.

“I'm not even gonna bother with charms and just kick it down…” Kai said.

“Hey wait, I think I just heard him say come in.” Yeonjun said, frowning.

“Really? I didn't hear him…” Kai asked. “Hey, what's wrong, Hyung?” He asked, noticing the frown on his face.

“He sounds like he's been crying...” Yeonjun said, quietly unlocking the door with magic and slowly turning the knob.

Beomgyu frowned slightly as they walked in, wondering why the house was shrouded in darkness.

“Why’s it so dark?” Kai whispered as he shut the door behind them.

Yeonjun frowned in concern when he heard the unmistakable sound of Taehyun sobbing softly.

“Come on, you guys…” Yeonjun muttered, leading the way to the living room.

Fumbling around, they finally made it to the room and managed to find the light switch.

As the room was flooded with light, Yeonjun immediately sought out Taehyun and found him curled up on his couch, crying his eyes out.

“Taehyun…” Yeonjun muttered, slowly walking towards the boy.

Taehyun glanced up at Yeonjun with teary eyes, and immediately flew off of the couch, running over to him.

“Hyung-” He sobbed, wrapping his trembling arms around him tightly.

“Hyunnie, what's wrong…?” Yeonjun whispered in concern as he wrapped his arms around the shaking boy.

He shared a worried glance with the other two, who were standing a little distance away from them, eyes wide with concern.

“Hyung…” Taehyun cried. “I'm- I'm sorry for blaming you for everything- I didn't mean to- I really didn't- I know you'd never do anything like that, I'm so-”

“Shhh… Don't cry, baby…” Yeonjun muttered, running his fingers through the boy's hair. “It's ok, Hyung isn't mad, ok?”

Taehyun nodded wordlessly, tears still streaming down his cheeks.

“Are you ok, Hyung?” He muttered softly.

“I'm ok, Taehyunnie…” Yeonjun muttered, his frown deepening when he noticed how badly the boy was shaking.

Taehyun hid his face in Yeonjun's neck and Yeonjun couldn't help but notice how warm and sweaty the boy was.

“Tae, are _you_ ok?” He asked, pulling away a little to glance at the boy's face.

Taehyun moved away, eyes downcast as he nodded quickly.

Yeonjun was glad he hadn't believed him or else he didn't think he'd be able to catch the boy when he suddenly stumbled backwards, his legs so unsteady that he wasn't able to stay standing.

He dove forward, wrapping his arms around him once more and supporting his weight.

“Taehyun, you're _not_ ok…” Yeonjun muttered as the other two rushed forward to help him carry the boy back to the couch.

Once Taehyun was lying down on the couch, Yeonjun kneeled down next to him and worriedly stared at his face.

“What's wrong, Tae?” Yeonjun asked, not liking the way Taehyun was shaking.

Taehyun sighed heavily, shaking his head as he winced.

“Can… Can you turn the lights off?” He muttered softly, shutting his eyes against the bright light. “My head hurts…”

Beomgyu immediately went to shut the living room lights off and turned on the kitchen lights so they could see.

“Is that ok, Tae?” Beomgyu whispered once he was back.

Taehyun nodded wordlessly, opening his eyes slowly.

“Now, tell us what's wrong…” Yeonjun said.

Taehyun sighed once more, turning to face the others.

“I've been having this weird headache for a few days. It was super on and off, but it would just get worse every time it came back. It stopped right after the fire but when I got home, it came back but it's… Different this time. It's more like an ache now and before it felt like someone was trying to crush my skull or something. And I just… I just don't feel so good… ” He trailed off.

Yeonjun hummed in sympathy, stroking the boy's hair gently.

“Looks like you're running a fever too…” He said.

Taehyun nodded once more, staring up at the ceiling.

“Did… You guys find him?” He asked in a small voice.

Yeonjun sighed, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

“We didn't…”

“But we know where he is.” Kai finished.

Beomgyu took the lead in explaining what they had learned from Chan and Jeongin. He purposely left out the story about 2016, thinking it best to explain that bit when Taehyun was more aware.

Taehyun listened attentively to the entire story, not once interrupting. In fact, it looked like he had something else on his mind that he wanted to say.

“Hey guys…” He said, once they'd discussed the new turn of events. “Um, I have a question. It might sound a bit strange, but…”

“It's ok, Hyung. I think we've all encountered stranger things at this point.” Kai said.

Taehyun smiled slightly.

“You're right… Anyways can one of you just… Tell me everything that happened since I met you guys at the bakery…?”

Yeonjun frowned in confusion but did as Taehyun asked and went through the day, the events getting stranger and stranger as time went on.

“Ah, ok…” Taehyun said once the story was finished.

“What was the purpose of that?” Beomgyu asked.

“Well, I was having trouble remembering a lot of things from today. Well actually that's not the right word…” Taehyun frowned, trying to figure out how to convey his message. “I could remember everything clearly up until when Soobin Hyung gave us the house tour. I remember what happened after that too, but it was like looking through a cracked lens. My memories were kind of fuzzy, but I'm glad I basically remembered the gist of everything.”

“That's weird, Hyung…” Kai muttered.

“It is…” Taehyun said, nodding. “I don't remember the food fight very well, or the movie, or the hide and seek. There's little details missing as if I just spaced out in the middle or something. What's even weirder is that every moment that's fuzzy in my mind correlates with the exact time my headache started acting up. I don't think it's a normal headache.”

Yeonjun couldn't help the small feeling of pride he felt listening to Taehyun's breakdown of the situation. Even when he was so sick, his intelligence was really unmatched.

“I wish you guys had come sooner, because there's one thing that I absolutely cannot remember no matter how much I try.” Taehyun muttered. 

“And what's that?” Kai asked.

“What I did right before coming to get you guys. I remember Soobin and I cleaned the house and then he left to get some stuff from the store. I know I didn't leave to get you guys right away, but I can't remember what I was doing before I left…” Taehyun said, his brow furrowing in worry. “And no one can tell me because I was all alone. I'm getting a bad feeling…”

The three boys shared a concerned look before turning to face Taehyun.

“Well, maybe we can ask Chan about it. He also has to get you checked for dark magic. If you're feeling a bit better, we can go right now…?” Beomgyu asked.

Taehyun sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position. He cradled his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

“I feel pretty much the same, but I think it's best if we get moving. The faster we can get Soobin Hyung out, the better.” Taehyun said, determination lacing his voice.

“Alright then, let's go.” Yeonjun said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Is he ok?” Chan whispered to Beomgyu, watching as Felix and Taehyun went over what was gonna happen.

“Um, not really…” Beomgyu muttered.

“Hey.” Felix said suddenly, turning to face the others. “Chan Hyung, are you sure I should do this right now? The kid doesn't look too good…”

“Ugh, just do it.” Taehyun said. “I'm fine, what's the worst that could happen?”

Everyone in the room seemed to be against it, but Taehyun was determined to get it over with.

“Do you wanna rest for a bit, Taehyun?” Jeongin tried one last time.

Taehyun shook his head firmly, sitting down on the kitchen chair across from Felix.

“Please, I just wanna do what I can to save my Hyung.” He said.

Felix sighed and sat down across your Taehyun, taking his hands in his own.

“Fine… But I'm stopping if I feel that it's too much. I'm going to be messing around a little in your brain, and I know you're already having memory issues. So squeeze my hands if your head starts hurting or if you feel any sort of discomfort, got it?” Felix said.

Taehyun nodded mutely, closing his eyes.

Felix sighed heavily and did the same.

The other five boys stood in tense silence and watched the two. Several minutes passed and neither of them moved.

Until suddenly about 10 minutes in, Felix's eyes flew open just as Taehyun groaned and began to fall forward.

In a blink of an eye, Felix released Taehyun's hands, and caught the boy just before he slid off the chair.

“W-why’d you stop…?” Taehyun muttered, slowly opening his eyes.

“I felt your mind shutting down. I didn't want you to pass out so…” Felix said, glancing down at the boy worriedly.

Taehyun didn't say anything, just groaned again and clung to Felix's shirt with shaking hands.

“This won't work…” Chan said slowly, walking forward as the others watched in silent worry.

“There's another way, but… There's no telling how long it'll take…” Felix muttered, glancing up at his Hyung.

“As long as it won't hurt him…” Yeonjun said, willing to wait a little longer.

“It won't. It'll put him to sleep so he won't feel a thing.” Felix explained.

“How's that, Taehyun?” Yeonjun asked softly, kneeling down. “Do you wanna try that?”

Taehyun nodded slowly.

“Ok, Hyung…” He whispered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“It's almost been an hour, hasn't it?” Kai muttered as the three of them sat on the steps outside, leading into the front door.

At some point, the boys had gotten tired of waiting and had gone outside for some fresh air. They ended up walking around for about five minutes before realizing that they were simply too anxious to do anything. And so they ended up sitting in front of the house, waiting impatiently for any news.

“Yup…” Beomgyu muttered tiredly. “Hyung…?”

“Hm?” Yeonjun hummed softly.

“You don't think Taehyun did it… Do you?”

Yeonjun shook his head slowly.

“He said he didn't believe in it so why would he even try? Besides, he's a smart kid, he wouldn't do something like that, especially not if he knows all the risks. Why? Do you think he did it?”

Beomgyu sighed, meeting Yeonjun's gaze.

“I… Honestly don't know… What you're saying is true and all but… He was acting super weird back at Soobin's place…”

“I just wanna point out…” Kai said suddenly. “That basically everyone but me and Soobin was acting super weird. Yeonjun and Taehyun were talking about the Realm, Beomgyu kept watching Taehyun, and Soobin Hyung… Poor Soobin Hyung just had to get caught up in this mess…”

“You're right…” Beomgyu said, dropping his head.

“Things got super weird, super fast. I wish we could've done something about it.” Yeonjun muttered.

“I'm not trying to blame anyone…” Kai said. “I'm just frustrated. There was nothing anyone could've done…”

They fell silent after that, quietly watching the twinkling stars above them. There was something about seeing the stars still shining in all the madness they were currently going through that brought back a little spark of hope in their hearts.

Maybe, just maybe…

Things would be ok.

As Beomgyu silently marveled at the stars, he flinched suddenly at a strange noise that broke his entrancement. 

“Hey, what's that sound?” He muttered, catching the others attention.

“I hear it too…” Yeonjun whispered. “Sounds like footsteps…”

“Ah! There!” Kai said, pointing.

The boys turned to see a small black cat walking over to them silently, its glowing irises fixated on them.

“It's a… Cat…” Kai muttered.

“Whoa, check out its eyes…” Beomgyu said, staring in awe at the cat's blue and green eyes.

“Come here, kitty…” Yeonjun said, holding out his hand hesitantly.

But the cat walked right up to him and placed its paw right on top of his hand.

Yeonjun laughed in delight, smiling happily down at the cat.

And suddenly, the cat's eyes began to glow as it stared deep into Yeonjun's eyes.

Yeonjun's eyes widened, his expression dropping.

“That's not normal…” Beomgyu said slowly.

“It's not… I don't-”

And just when Yeonjun thought it couldn't get any stranger, the voice of the very person he wanted to see the most suddenly hit his ears.

_“Um, hey Hyung…”_

Yeonjun gasped, staring down at the cat, wondering if he was out of his mind and was somehow imagining the cat speaking… In Soobin's voice?

But no, the cat's mouth remained closed as it continued to stare at him.

“Hey Hyung, why'd you stop-”

“Shh, wait gimme a sec, you guys…” Yeonjun whispered.

It seemed like the other two couldn't hear what he was hearing, which only furthered the theory that he was slowly going insane.

But the cat continued to stare at him, its eyes somehow conveying to Yeonjun that he was definitely not mistaking his best friend's voice.

_“Oh my God, this is so weird…”_

There was another long pause before Soobin sighed heavily and continued.

_“So, I'm not sure if you already know this but… When I was in the fire, I accessed the Dream Realm… Yes, apparently it does exist and what's more is that it was already opened before I went in. Oh and guess who I found?! Ah, sorry I know I should focus but I found Yugyeom! He's helping me send this message to you… Ah and also the cat, Iris. Iris is helping too… Anyways, only the person who opened the Realm can get me out so… Basically I just hope you know I'm not dead and please, please, find out who opened it so I can get out of here. Um… See you soon, hopefully? Bye Yeonjunnie Hyung…”_

The boy trailed off, a sad undertone to his voice as he finished the message.

Yeonjun let go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The cat slowly lifted its paw and gazed at him quietly as its eyes stopped glowing.

“Hyung, you're shaking.” Kai said, quickly coming to sit next to his Hyung. “Are you ok?”

“What's wrong Hyung?” Beomgyu echoed.

Yeonjun shook his head and blinked a few times before looking up at both of them.

“It was a message from Soobin.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh wow…” Chan muttered when Yeonjun was done telling him what had just happened.

He glanced at the cat, who was now wandering around in the kitchen. The boys had immediately come back inside to inform Chan of the message and the cat had followed as if it owned the house.

“I mean, it basically just confirmed what we already knew, but damn…” Chan said, following the cat with his eyes.

“I'm glad he's doing ok. If that were me, I'd already have broken down.” Beomgyu said.

“Yeah, and how he found someone to help and a way to send y'all a message.” Chan said.

“But honestly, knowing Hyung, he probably bumped into Yugyeom on accident.” Kai said.

“Hey, give him some credit.” Yeonjun said, grinning at the boy.

Kai grinned back, before his expression fell slightly.

“Do you know how much longer it'll take for…?” He trailed off.

Chan sighed and sat down on one of the chairs, gesturing for the others to do the same.

“Actually, Felix should almost be done, so not much longer.”

As if on cue, the four boys heard frantic footsteps running down the stairs. They turned around just in time to see Felix rush into the kitchen.

“What is it?” Yeonjun asked, cautiously as everyone rose from their chairs, eyes fixated on Felix's worried expression.

“Well…” Felix started. “For starters, you might want to sit back down….”

Yeonjun's heart sank, as he slowly sat back down, the others doing the same.

“First of all…” Felix began. “It was Taehyun.”

Yeonjun was glad the man had told him to sit back down because if he hadn't, Yeonjun was sure he'd fall to the floor after hearing that.

Honestly, if he thought about it, it wasn't that shocking because if it wasn't the three of them, it could only have been Taehyun.

But the thought of Taehyun doing something so reckless? The two things just didn't connect in his mind and that's what made it so much more unbelievable.

He didn't have to look at Kai and Beomgyu to know they were having the same exact thoughts at the moment.

“And that's not even the worst part…” Felix said, dropping his gaze. “There's more than just dark magic in his aura.”

Yeonjun waited with bated breath, wondering how it could possibly get any worse.

“I'm sure you noticed how his memory was acting up. He doesn't remember ever opening the Realm. And that's because…” Felix looked up, sighing heavily.

“The poor boy was possessed.”

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_My heart incinerated, come and feel me…_

_Feel me..._

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole lot going on...👀  
> I'm sure most of you had already figured out that he'd been possessed, but mayhaps ur views of the cat have changed?👀
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	9. Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAHHH omg I'm late again😭  
> Was struggling a bit with motivation and inspiration but hopefully I can make it up to you guys with another longish chapter!  
> Also not sure if there any stays around but DAMN the album was fire and I'm honestly so proud of myself for being able to finish writing this and not get distracted by it😅  
> BUT ANYWAYS  
> Onto the chapter!🙃

_ My heart, heavy with resentment… _

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If the situation had been less dire, Yeonjun would've thought it quite amazing the amount of times they'd been shocked into silence that day.

As it happened, the situation _ was _ very dire, and there was absolutely nothing astounding about the way the heavy silence surrounded them once more.

No one spoke a word, yet the silence was ironically deafening, making way for the noisy thoughts running rampant in Yeonjun's brain.

Because  _ how? _

How had their little reunion come to this?

Just one day and all five of them were traumatized.

They'd nearly died in a fire.

Yeonjun had nearly suffocated to death.

Soobin was basically trapped in an unreachable world.

And now Taehyun had been possessed.

Meaning that all of this had happened because of one person…

Yeonjun couldn't take it anymore.

“ _ By who?!” _

Yeonjun's furious yell rang through the house, shattering the silence, as pure rage sparked through him.

He didn't even realize that he had leapt from his chair and gripped Felix's shoulders until he felt warm hands gently grip his own and slowly bring them down.

Blinking in shock, Yeonjun stepped back and sank back into his chair, ignoring the way Chan, Felix and Jeongin, who had just joined them after hearing Yeonjun yell, were gazing at him sympathetically, while Kai and Beomgyu were staring at the three, just as shaken as him.

He let out a heavy sigh, clasping his hands in his lap to steady them and swallowed thickly before glancing up at Felix once more.

“Who…?” He asked again, his voice a defeated whisper compared to the enraged shout from before.

“We don't know yet…” Felix said softly, kneeling in front of the boy. “But don't worry, we'll figure it out. There's no way a person can possess someone without leaving some sort of imprint of themselves on the other’s aura. I don't know how long it'll take, but I promise I'll do my best.”

Yeonjun nodded wordlessly, staring at the floor.

“Lemme guess…” Beomgyu muttered, his voice sounding as hopeless as everyone felt. “This probably means more complications, right?”

Felix sighed, nodding slowly.

“Yes… Come upstairs, you guys… I think it's best to have this discussion with everyone.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yeonjun had always thought he was a strong person at heart. It took a lot to break him, considering everything he had gone through in his life.

He'd been torn from his friends.

Forced to stay where his mother could keep tabs on him.

He'd braved all they'd gone through in a single day.

Of all things, he didn't expect the image of a sick Taehyun to finally shatter his brave front.

But seeing the poor boy curled up and shivering on the bed in Chan’s guest room finally broke him and he couldn't hold back the tears that escaped him.

“Hyung…”

Yeonjun shook his head and immediately rushed forward when his dongsaeng tried to sit up and comfort him.

Taehyun gazed up at him, his eyes filled with sorrow as he obediently lay back down.

Yeonjun closed his eyes, trying desperately to reel in the silent tears. He felt two pairs of arms wrap around him from behind and that only brought the tears back.

He was aware of Chan, Felix and Jeongin standing quietly at the door, giving the four boys time to take everything in.

Yeonjun let out a shaky breath and slowly sat down on the bed, watching as Beomgyu and Kai followed suit.

He kept his eyes on the ground for a few seconds calming himself. No matter how terrible their circumstances had become, they  _ were _ going to find a way to fix everything.

There would be plenty of time to cry about it later, but for now Yeonjun decided to be brave for a little bit longer.

“Are you sure you guys wanna do this now?” Felix asked hesitantly. “Taehyun, maybe you should rest for a bit longer?”

Taehyun immediately shook his head, sitting up and warding off the others' attempts to push him back down.

“We have no time to lose.” He said simply.

“You are absolutely right…” Jeongin said, sighing heavily.

“Ok then…” Felix said, as the three of them stepped inside fully and stared at them gravely for a few seconds.

“This is going to get a little confusing, so if you have any questions at any time, please stop me, ok?”

Once all four boys had nodded in confirmation, Felix took a deep breath and began to explain.

“First of all…” He said, glancing at Taehyun. “As you can probably tell, what Taehyun is experiencing is no ordinary sickness. He's suffering the side effects of possession. His body and immune system were weakened from being used against his will for who knows how long. However, you shouldn't worry too much. It may take longer than usual, but he will recover from this eventually.”

They all let out a collective sigh of relief, knowing that no permanent damage was done to their friend.

“Ok…” Felix continued. “Now possession itself is very confusing. In order to possess someone, you need to perform a really difficult spell that connects your aura to the aura of the person you're trying to possess. A spell like this normally takes years to master, and normally you have to know the person for years as well. That is, unless you live with that person or that person is always in close proximity to you. In which case, you don't have to master the spell at all.”

“So, wait…” Kai said, trying to gather his thoughts. “For a person to possess another… They have to be near them… And if they can't be close to them at all times, they need to learn a super hard spell that connects their auras, yes?”

“Yes.” Felix confirmed. “ _ But _ … Those rules only apply if it's a human attempting possession.”

Yeonjun almost laughed at the frustrated sigh that left Beomgyu at that moment. 

Almost.

But as it was, he was very close to screaming in frustration himself.

“Believe it or not…” Felix continued. “Spirits and animals are also capable of possession although it's a little bit different. Spirits can possess people willingly, but most times they are forced to do so by a human who has control over them. Humans often do this if they wanna possess someone without being traced back.”

“Wait, so if Taehyun got possessed by a spirit…” Beomgyu said. “Does that mean you won't be able to find out who really did it?”

“No, no, we'll be able to do it.” Jeongin reassured. “It'll probably just take a little longer. Seungmin is our fastest man, both literally and figuratively, so if that's the case, we'll get him to figure it out.”

“Ah, ok…” Beomgyu said, sighing.

“Alright, now about animals…” Felix said. “Animals don't actually possess people but they do attach their auras to their owner's auras. They do this so they don't get separated from them. It also comes in handy if someone tries to steal their owner's identity. There's so many stories of how a kidnapping was stopped because the kid's pet knew the kidnapper wasn’t their parent, as they claimed to be.”

“So they don't possess, but they do know the first step to possession?” Yeonjun asked.

“Yup.” Felix said, nodding. “But sometimes… People can use animals as a go through to possess someone else. Similar to using spirits to possess someone. Animals often attach their auras to people they trust, but other people can use that against them, using them to control whoever the animal is connected to.”

“This is so confusing…” Kai muttered.

“Basically all you need to know is that if a person can't be near you, they either have to master the spell or have a spirit or animal do their dirty work for them.”

“Ok…” Yeonjun sighed, dropping his head in his hands.

“Think you got all that? Taehyun?” Chan asked, glancing at the boy, noticing he hadn't said a word yet.

Taehyun stayed silent, nodding to let him know he understood.

“Ok now finally… How this complicates things….” Felix said. “Basically since Taehyun opened the Realm against his will, both him and the possessor need to reopen it together. And that's why it's important to figure out exactly who did it.”

There was a beat of silence as Felix stopped talking, glancing at all the confused expressions.

“Ok, if you guys have any questions…” Felix said.

“Nope, I think we're good…” Yeonjun said, despite knowing they were far from it. 

He glanced at the others, watching as they nodded in agreement.

“Alright then…” Jeongin said as he led the way out the door.

“You four should rest a bit, ok?” Chan said, glancing back for a second.

“We will.” Yeonjun said.

“We'll let you know when we figure out who it was.” Felix said.

And with that, the four boys were left alone in the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Beomgyu sighed as he leaned against the wall and glanced at Taehyun who was sitting up, wrapped in blankets and staring into space.

“Stop thinking, Tae.” He muttered.”I can hear you from all the way over here. Try to sleep.”

Taehyun glanced over at Beomgyu, looking like he was about to argue, but sighed and obediently lay back down.

“I wouldn't blame you if you can't sleep…” Kai muttered, as he came to lie down next to his Hyung.

Taehyun draped an arm around the boy and sighed once more, closing his eyes.

“I can't sleep either…” Kai said softly. “This… Whole thing is just so messed up.”

“Someone really… Hates us so much to actually do something like this?” Yeonjun said, staring at the floor.

“I wonder what triggered this…” Beomgyu said.

“You know… Maybe I'm crazy to connect this to something so long ago but…” Kai said. “I've always been expecting something bad to happen to us ever since we won the Dream Olympics that first time. We were the youngest team, so I always thought a lot of people were probably jealous of us and would eventually try to sabotage us. Before we found out what actually happened to us in 2016, I always thought someone probably ambushed us so we wouldn't be able to compete. But nothing like that ever happened until now. Maybe it's a long shot but I'm willing to bet it was someone who was jealous of us back then.”

“no, no…” Yeonjun said. “It's a good theory…”

“Hey…” Taehyun said, suddenly, sitting up slightly.

All boys turned to Taehyun with slight worry in their gazes, as this was the first word he'd spoken since the others had left.

“What's up, Tae…?” Yeonjun asked softly.

“What…” Taehyun paused, frowning a bit as he gathered his thoughts.

He glanced at Kai for a second before turning back to Yeonjun. 

“What… Actually happened to us in 2016…?”

Kai’s eyes widened slightly as he realized what he had said. They still had yet to inform Taehyun about the magic island incident.

“Well…” Yeonjun said, worriedly glancing at the other two before continuing the story.

Taehyun sat silently throughout the entire story, his expression neutral for the most part. When Yeonjun finally finished explaining, everyone sat in silence waiting for Taehyun to say something.

But the boy just sat silently, staring down at his lap. He sat still for a few seconds before a small shiver shook him, prompting him to wrap his arms around himself.

“Are you cold, Tae?” Beomgyu asked gently.

Taehyun nodded slowly, watching as Beomgyu grabbed an extra blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders.

Beomgyu frowned when he noticed the wry smile on the boy's face.

“Why are you smiling, Hyung?” Kai asked, taking the words out of his mouth.

Taehyun sighed, leaning back against the pillows.

“No reason. It's just… I always knew we never got into a car accident…” He muttered.

“Ah, of course you did, Tae.” Yeonjun said, smiling softly.

“What gave it away?” Beomgyu asked.

“Hmm, well…” Taehyun began. “Stray Kids couldn't have known we had planned on walking to the Olympics that year.”

“Wait, we did?” Kai asked incredulously.

“Mhmm…” Taehyun said, nodding. “The location was pretty close to the island that year. We never brought a car with us unless the distance was too far for us to walk or even have Yeonjun Hyung teleport us.”

“You're right….” Yeonjun said.

“So if we didn't have a car, how did we get into an accident? That's what I always thought ever since then…” Taehyun said.

“Wow…” Beomgyu muttered. “Either you're hella smart or we're hella dumb.”

Taehyun shook his head, chuckling slightly.

“Y’all aren't dumb… I'm sure you guys noticed. You probably just wrote it off as us not being able to remember anything correctly. But it just didn't sit right with me that no one remembered a thing. And so I never believed the story…”

“Damn, Hyung. Way to show off your big brain powers.” Kai said, grinning.

Taehyun laughed slightly, shaking his head once more.

“I'm not smart, you guys. I'm just...uh… Good at noticing things…”

“You mean perceptive?” Kai asked.

“Ah, yes! That's the word!” Taehyun said. “You see, I'm not smart at all.”

“Bet you did that on purpose.” Beomgyu said, shaking his head.

Yeonjun grinned as he watched the maknaes all laugh together before falling into a comfortable silence.

He was relieved to see that they could still laugh and joke around even after everything that had happened that day.

And he hated that he was about to interrupt that bright mood, but he just had to know.

Leaning forward, he let the grin fade as he looked at Taehyun with a serious expression.

“On a more serious note, Tae…” He began, catching the boys’ attention. “Your perceptiveness is no joke. Do you… Think you have any idea who it could have been?” He asked, carefully.

Taehyun sighed and dropped his gaze as the three boys waited for his response in anticipation. Yeonjun had no doubt that Taehyun would probably be able to narrow down the search or perhaps even avoid it all together with his quick thinking. Maybe he was being overly trusting in Taehyun's abilities, but it wasn't for no reason.

He had already shown how capable he could be by finding inconsistencies in two seemingly normal events. Once with his strange headache, which anyone else would've immediately written off as nothing to worry about. And once when he didn't believe that they'd been in a car accident simply because it was strange that no memories of the event had remained.

And so when Taehyun finally glanced up at Yeonjun with a resigned look in his eyes, he immediately knew that he had figured it out.

“Well…” Taehyun sighed. “I have an idea. But… My brain is still a little slow, so I'm pretty sure I'm wrong…”

“Slow?!” Kai asked incredulously. “The brain that just gave us a whole breakdown analysis of why the car accident didn't make sense is slow right now?!”

Taehyun shrugged and smiled nervously.

“Well, maybe not…” He muttered. “I guess I'm just hesitant because… I hope I'm wrong…”

Yeonjun frowned slightly, knowing there was little chance of the boy being wrong.

“Who do you think it was…?” Yeonjun asked gently.

Taehyun heaved a sigh once more, before his expression was set in determination.

“I think-”

Just then the door was pushed open, a red haired boy peeking inside. All four boys stopped and stared at the newcomer.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He said, stepping inside.

“I'm Kim Seungmin and I've been trying to figure out who possessed you.” He said, his words slightly rushed.

“Hi…” Kai muttered, awkwardly waving.

Seungmin grinned slightly before glancing at Taehyun.

“Taehyun-ssi, are you ok to walk?” He asked.

“Yes, I think so.” Taehyun said, nodding. “Why?”

“We need everyone to come downstairs.” He replied, moving back towards the door.

Just before Seungmin stepped out again, he turned and glanced at everyone over his shoulder.

“We've found our culprit.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I knew it…” Taehyun sighed as Seungmin told them the name of the person who had caused everything.

Yeonjun was once again relieved that he was sitting on the couch in Chan's living room, because he was absolutely sure his legs wouldn't be able to hold him up after hearing who it had been.

“J-Jaebum?” Yeonjun stuttered, eyes wide, unable to believe his ears.

Yeonjun had no doubt that Taehyun had probably known who it was for some time, but as for him, Beomgyu and Kai… They were shocked into silence once more.

Jaebum?

Their friend who had shut them out when his little brother had passed away?

Yeonjun never thought he would hear of him again, and especially not in this context.

But why had he done it? Did he still blame them for Yugyeom’s death? Was he jealous of their success in the Olympics like Kai had said? Or was it something deeper than that?

“Jaebum was… Was he a good friend?” Chan asked carefully.

“We've been friends ever since 2014…” Taehyun muttered. “Two years ago when… Yugyeom passed away… He stopped talking to us for months. He only came around when the three of you moved to America…”

“Really?” Kai asked, eyes wide.

“I understood where he was coming from when he tried to blame us for his death. It happens. Sometimes you just want someone to take the blame so you can feel better about it. But I thought he was past that.”

Yeonjun shook his head, putting a hand on Taehyun's shoulder.

“We still don't know why he did it. We shouldn't jump to conclusions.” He stated.

“You're right…” Taehyun muttered.

“But how did he possess Tae? He wasn't around this entire time.” Beomgyu asked.

“The cat.” Taehyun sighed. “Iris.”

He glanced up at Seungmin who nodded gravely, confirming the statement.

“She trusted you enough to join her aura to yours. It was used against both of you.”

Taehyun glanced down at said cat, who was sitting still, almost solemnly staring at everyone.

She made eye contact with him, and Taehyun cracked a small smile at the ‘puppy’ eyes the kitten was staring at him with.

A strange image, but it melted Taehyun.

He reached forward, waiting for the cat to slowly walk into his embrace.

“Not your fault, Iris…” He muttered, not sure if she could even understand.

“She understands you, by the way…” Jeongin informed them, as if reading the boy's mind.

Iris purred and meowed softly, turning her gaze to Jeongin.

“She said she felt guilty, which is why she tried to find Soobin and get the message to you guys.”

Taehyun grinned and stroked the cat, fondly.

“You did well, Iris…”

He almost didn't want this moment to end, just wanting to sit in Chan's house, petting the cat, surrounded by his friends.

As it was, one of their friends was still missing and they had to decide what to do next.

“The next course of action is up to you guys.” Felix said softly.

“Well, obviously we're gonna go find Jaebum. I'm sure Taehyun knows where he lives.” Beomgyu said.

Taehyun nodded in confirmation.

“Keep in mind that you guys have to be ready for anything.” Seungmin reminded them. “If Jaebum did this, it's possible he's not gonna be very willing to help you undo the damage. We could come if you need backup, but if you wanna keep this quiet, it's better if we don't.”

“Yeah, I think it's best if you guys don't come with.” Beomgyu said. “I don't think any of us want news coverage on this whole thing. And the reporters basically follow you everywhere.”

“Sad, but true.” Chan said, sighing. 

It was clear that the four older boys wanted to help in some way, but they knew it was impossible without the public hearing about everything.

“We'll let you know somehow if we get stuck.” Yeonjun reassured them.

“Yes, please do.” Felix said, nodding.

With that, Yeonjun stood up, prompting the others to follow him. Jeongin frowned worriedly, moving forward hesitantly.

“Sh-shouldn’t you guys rest a bit more?” He asked.

Yeonjun sighed, smiling a bit as he realized the hidden meaning behind the words. Jeongin wasn't ready for them to go yet.

“We'll be fine, you guys.” Yeonjun said simply, a soft smile on his face.

“Don't worry about us. We'll come back soon. With Soobin Hyung this time.” Kai said.

“We'd love to meet him again.” Chan said, smiling sadly.

“Wishing you all the best.” Felix said.

“Thanks for everything.” Taehyun said, taking in all the small smiles and worried gazes being thrown in their direction.

They all stood in silence, staring at each other, none of them wanting to make the first move and leave.

They hadn't known each other for very long, but Taehyun knew they'd created an unbreakable bond in the short time they'd spent together 

In the end though, Iris broke the silence, striding up to the front door and scratching at it lightly.

Taehyun heaved a sigh and finally turned away.

“Goodbye Hyungs…”

And with that, he opened the door and stepped out into the biting cold, the other three following after.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taehyun honestly hadn't expected Iris to follow the four of them on their way to Jaebum’s house, but he was glad she did.

He was still kinda disoriented and dizzy as it was, having to lean against Yeonjun whenever he got too tired. He kept messing up the directions and Iris would always point them in the right way, knowing exactly where her owner lived.

As they walked in silence, Taehyun couldn't help the anxiety building inside him. He was definitely more than a little worried about how this was gonna play out. They'd all known Jaebum for years, and when he wasn't mourning over his brother, they'd had some good times together.

Taehyun had always viewed him as an older brother, who always gave him advice when he needed it.

He was worried that he never noticed that something was clearly wrong with the older boy.

Was it his fault?

Maybe he hadn't been a good friend towards him?

Taehyun shook his head, dispelling the thoughts.

They still didn't know why he had done it, so there was no use trying to come up with possibilities.

Still, the growing anxiety never went away, steadily increasing until they finally made it to Jaebum's front door.

Yeonjun sighed heavily, slowly letting go of Taehyun and grabbing the door knob.

“I'm gonna unlock it, ok?” He said, glancing back at everyone. “Is everyone ready?”

Taehyun knew that every one of them were far from ready but he nodded along with the others.

Taking another deep breath, Yeonjun turned back to the door and unlocked it with magic, before slowly easing it open.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yeonjun tried to keep his hands steady for the maknaes’ sake, but he couldn't help the small tremors shaking him as they crept into the dark house.

It vaguely reminded him of how they'd gone to get Taehyun only to find him crying alone in his dark house.

At that time, he'd felt a surge of worry and sorrow, but now all he was feeling was fear and paranoia.

He couldn't take the darkness anymore, and so he absentmindedly snapped his fingers, making a small flame appear in his hand.

“Ah, Hyung, maybe you shouldn't do that…?” Beomgyu whispered.

“O-oh right.” Yeonjun stuttered, immediately snapping his fingers again, dispelling the flame.

“Should we find a light switch?” Kai asked.

“No, I'm getting a bad feeling…”Taehyun replied.

He didn't know why, but he felt that if they disturbed the quiet darkness even in the slightest bit, then all hell would break loose.

“Maybe call his name?” Beomgyu asked.

“Also a bad idea.” Taehyun said.

Taehyun squinted against the darkness, letting his eyes adjust. He turned in a slow circle, observing his surroundings and letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that he could make out some of the features of the room.

“Ok…” He muttered, taking a few slow steps forward. “Living room…” 

The boys continued their slow and quiet advance forward, listening to Taehyun's soft whispers whenever they entered a new room.

In that way, they searched the entire main floor with no sign of Jaebum.

They ended up just inside the kitchen, wondering what to do next.

“Should we even check upstairs?” Beomgyu whispered.

“Maybe he's not even home?” Kai asked.

“Then wh-”

“Shh, wait.” Yeonjun said suddenly, frowning slightly.

He held a finger to his lips, glancing around carefully. The three maknaes fell silent, looking at their Hyung worriedly.

“Do you hear that?” Yeonjun asked, fixing his gaze back on the boys.

Taehyun glanced at Beomgyu and Kai, shaking his head along with them. He hadn't heard a thing besides their own soft noises.

But right at that moment, he felt a chill run down his spine.

“Taehyun, behind you!” Yeonjun said, his eyes wide as he pointed over Taehyun's shoulder.

Before Taehyun even had a chance to move, he felt a cold hand land on his shoulder. His breath caught in his throat as he jerked away from the touch, whirling around to face none other than Jaebum.

At least, he assumed it was Jaebum, but the darkness made it hard to tell. His suspicions were cleared a second later, when the kitchen was flooded with light. 

It was indeed Jaebum. He stood there, looking as if he just woke up. He looked terrible, as if he'd been suffering all the world's hardships his entire life.

Taehyun guessed that had to do with the fact that Jaebum had probably been using dark magic for longer than he should have. Everyone knew the longer you used dark magic, the more it would eat you up from the inside, making you creep closer to your death at a faster rate.

And Jaebum looked like he was at death's door step.

His eyes, however…

His eyes were a different story.

If Taehyun didn't know Jaebum's eyes were naturally dark brown, he would've immediately thought they were pitch black. He found that he really couldn't tell the difference anymore.

What had happened to him?

Taehyun didn't have any more time to think as Jaebum slowly walked up to them, a small smile on his face.

Taehyun took a slow step back, the others following suit, but Jaebum stopped a safe distance away from them.

“Why didn't you guys switch the lights on?” Jaebum asked. “I was just getting ready for bed when I heard the door open, so I decided to teleport down here to make sure it wasn't a burglar or anything.”

He spoke quietly, his voice low as if trying not to disturb the silence. He kept his eyes on Taehyun's, his grin never wavering.

None of the boys responded to his question, choosing to remain in the suffocating silence until Jaebum glanced down, noticing Iris hiding behind Beomgyu.

“I see you've been taking good care of Iris.” His grin widened a fraction as he said this, his eyes catching Taehyun's once more.

Taehyun couldn't hold his gaze anymore, so he glanced away. As soon as he did he wished he hadn't. His eyes had landed on the older boy’s hand, his fingers tracing the handle of a long knife set on the counter.

Taehyun gulped, shutting his eyes despite his better judgement that he should probably keep them open.

“So…” Jaebum muttered. “Tell me…. What brings you to my house in the middle of the night?”

He sounded genuinely confused, but Taehyun could clearly hear the smirk on his voice.

A hand wrapped around his, gently pulling him another step backwards, making him assume that Jaebum was coming closer.

He hesitantly opened his eyes to see Jaebum glancing at each face in turn, before settling back on Taehyun's.

“Hey… Where's the other kid? There were five of you right? Tomorrow X Together, the five young boys who destroyed every Dream Olympics record? Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Kai, Taehyun… And Soobin. Where's he at?”

His grin grew impossibly wider and at this point Taehyun was absolutely sure the boy's eyes were black. The dark magic was consuming him and Taehyun knew that meant danger for all of them.

“You know exactly where Soobin is…” Yeonjun finally said, his voice a low growl as he glared at Jaebum.

Jaebum chuckled, his face transforming in an expression of pleasant surprise.

“Hmm, do I?” He asked.

Taehyun shook his head, sighing and decided to cut to the chase.

“Why?” He whispered, staring at Jaebum.

Jaebum's smile dropped, replaced with an angry scowl. It seemed like he wanted to play with them more, but was now forced to answer the question.

“Why what? You've got to be more specific, Taehyun…” He whispered, eyes narrowing dangerously.

“Why did you do it?” Taehyun asked, not wanting to give the man what he wanted.

“Isn't it obvious?” Jaebum whispered, taking another step forward. “You five… You took everything from me. All the fame, all the glory. It was all supposed to be mine. In the beginning I thought it was just chance, that I'd be able to come back and take my title as youngest winner back. But I fell in the background and you guys took the spotlight. I became a bystander. I became friends with you guys only because… My brother seemed to like you guys. I thought maybe I could get some sort of fame back by being associated with you guys, but I was pushed back further every time you guys won again. I had a chance in 2016, but I wasn't able to take it even then. I had no importance anymore. Even some of my closest friends would only talk to me about you guys. It was always ‘TXT this’ and ‘TXT that’. And if they ever caught wind of the fact that we were friends, they'd start asking to meet with you guys. I faded into the background. No one cared for me.”

Jaebum's gaze had fallen to the ground sometime during his speech and he glanced back up so quickly that Taehyun took another involuntary step backward.

“That's why I did it. You guys stripped me of my value. You tore me from everything important in my life. I'm going to do the same to you… Does that answer your question?”

It didn't.

Taehyun thought there was something deeper than jealousy going on. He hadn't missed the way Jaebum had paused when talking about his brother.

But of course, he couldn't be sure.

Maybe Jaebum _ was _ just a shallow person who chased glory and fame and went insane when it was taken from him.

“Is that all?” Taehyun asked softly.

“ _ Yes _ ” Jaebum hissed. “What else would there be?”

“Are you sure?”

Jaebum growled under his breath, making the boys tense and Iris meow in distress. Taehyun felt Kai's hand on his arm, warning him to stop talking.

But Taehyun didn't back down, tilting his head and holding Jaebum's murderous gaze.

“Well? Are you?” He whispered.

Jaebum didn't answer, but he gripped the knife on the counter, glaring at him in warning.

“There's nothing else. You can stop trying to analyze my words.” Jaebum said, his voice irritated.

“You said no one cared for you. Maybe that's the case now, but it wasn't always that way, right?”

Taehyun knew he had absolutely lost it at this point, because he took a hesitant step forward, ignoring the way the others gasped behind him and tried to pull him back.

The action even surprised Jaebum, his eyes widening slightly as he tensed.

“I don't know what you're talking about…” Jaebum whispered.

“You do…” Taehyun said. “You know exactly _ who  _ I'm talking about.”

Jaebum stayed silent for a bit and Taehyun tried hard to read his expression but he couldn't quite place it

“You must be crazy…” Jaebum whispered finally.

“How?” Taehyun asked, trying to keep the conversation going to distract Jaebum from the knife he was repeatedly stroking.

“I possessed you. Causing a domino effect that nearly killed all of you and trapped one of you in an unreachable realm. And yet you still have the courage to continue coming closer…” Jaebum said, his voice holding an undertone of wonder.

“Why wouldn't I come closer?” Taehyun said, shrugging as he stepped forward once more, never breaking eye contact. “I considered you an older brother just last week.”

“Haven't you learned your lesson? Haven't you seen that that brotherly emotion isn't mutual?” Jaebum asked, his frown deepening.

Taehyun didn't respond to that. Just stepped forward once more. There were only five steps left between them. He was now farther away from his friends than he was from Jaebum.

He glanced back for a second to see that they hadn't made a move, but were tense and ready in case they needed to step in.

They each made eye contact with him, somehow communicating with their eyes, sending him a new burst of courage. Even Iris who was standing near Beomgyu gave Taehyun a fierce and determined glance.

Turning back with a deep breath, he resumed his staring contest with Jaebum.

He also hadn't made a move yet, so Taehyun thought it was safe to take another step.

Jaebum watched his every move carefully, slowly shaking his head and frowning in anger.

“You really are crazy…” He muttered.

“Not crazy…” Taehyun whispered. “Just trying to understand.”

“Understand what?” Jaebum said, finally breaking eye contact.

“Why you're so intent on forgetting him…”

“Forgetting  _ who _ ?” 

The words were muttered darkly, clearly conveying Jaebum's anger to Taehyun. Maybe he was overstepping his bounds, but Taehyun decided to take the risk and say the name.

“Forgetting… Yugyeom…”

Jaebum's head snapped up and when Taehyun saw him drop the knife, he thought he had done it.

He was wrong.

He didn't even have a second to react before Jaebum darted forward suddenly, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing the both of them down.

Taehyun's head hit the ground hard, making his ears ring so loudly he almost missed the alarmed shouts from his friends.

Sparks of pain shot through his head and he tried desperately to get his tired body to move so he could throw Jaebum off him.

He stared at the boy wide eyed and fearful, as Jaebum moved his hands from his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck instead.

“ _ Don't ever say his name again! _ ” Jaebum yelled, curling his fingers and squeezing, effectively cutting off Taehyun's air.

Taehyun's eyes widened, as he choked on nothing, gripping Jaebum's hands and trying to pull them off.

_ Don't do this _ , he tried telling him with his eyes.

But Jaebum didn't let up. 

Taehyun was ready to accept defeat when a hazy darkness began creeping into his vision. 

But a hand suddenly grabbed Jaebum's shoulder, heaving him off of Taehyun and throwing him against the wall.

Taehyun only barely registered that it had been Kai who threw him off, before he curled up and coughed harshly, desperately sucking in huge breaths of air.

“ _ Don't you dare touch him! You've already done enough damage to all of us!” _ Kai shouted, eyes flashing in anger.

Jaebum growled angrily, rising to his feet almost immediately, ready to attack once more.

But Beomgyu was faster, using his magic to control the wind and push all the chairs forward, effectively blocking off his path and throwing him back to the floor.

“Tae…” Yeonjun muttered, lifting the boy to his feet.

“I'm fine.” Taehyun said, despite how he was still gasping for air.

Moving away from Yeonjun, he grabbed Kai's hand and pulled him away from Jaebum.

“Come on, guys, let's move.” 

Taehyun knew they couldn't exactly leave before everything was sorted out, but he thought it was a good idea to put a little distance between them and Jaebum.

And so he led everyone to the living room, anxiously waiting for Jaebum to catch up.

And catch up he did.

He seemed like a madman, pushing the chairs away from him and chasing after the boys. He completely ignored everyone, pushing past them and going straight for Taehyun once more.

But they were ready this time.

Or so they thought.

As the three boys crowded around Jaebum, trying to block his attacks, he yelled in anger suddenly, unleashing a shockwave of magic, using telekinesis to throw everyone aside.

Taehyun winced as Yeonjun went flying, hitting his head against the corner of the dining table.

Not as bad as Kai's situation, as he went flying _ through _ the dining table, completely breaking it and becoming trapped in the broken pieces.

Beomgyu landed on the overturned chairs, smashing them to bits.

Taehyun didn't have time to pay attention to his friends' situations, as Jaebum wrapped a hand around his throat once more, pushing him to the ground.

He stared up in fear, noticing that Jaebum held the knife in his other hand.

The creepy grin was back as he held the knife still for a few seconds before bringing it down. Taehyun reached up at the last second and grabbed his hand, desperately pushing against it.

Jaebum threw his head back and laughed.

“You think you can stop me?! I know you're weakened right now from being possessed.”

Taehyun didn't say anything, just grit his teeth as he continued to push against his hand.

Jaebum sighed and rolled his eyes, almost looking sympathetic for a second before forcing the knife down.

Taehyun screamed in pain as the knife embedded itself in his shoulder.

Jaebum laughed in delight as he pushed the knife in further. Taehyun whimpered in pain, quietly begging Jaebum to stop.

“It seems my aim was a bit off…” Jaebum said airily as he wrenched the knife out.

Taehyun gasped, clenching his teeth against the pain. He could feel his shoulder twinge in pain as the warm blood slowly dripped down.

Jaebum lifted the bloody knife once again, taking time to fix his aim.

“You might wonder why I'm not just using magic to kill you…”

Taehyun was wondering no such thing, he was just hoping he would survive this night.

Jaebum glanced down at Taehyun and narrowed his eyes.

“I  _ said _ … You must be wondering why I don't just use magic…”

Taehyun gulped, blinking away the sudden tears that crept into his eyes.

“W-why Jaebum… Hyung…”

Taehyun definitely noticed the way Jaebum flinched when he unconsciously called him Hyung. His expression cleared for a second before becoming angrier than before.

“Magic just takes you out right away. It's no fun. I'd rather hear you scream in pain.”

And with that, Jaebum brought the knife back down.

But this time, Taehyun was ready.

Adrenaline rushed through him as he used both hands to push against the older boy’s shoulders.

He groaned softly as his shoulder screamed in protest. He was honestly surprised that he was able to flip the older boy onto his back.

Even Jaebum seemed shocked at the sudden surge of strength, eyes widening as the smaller boy overpowered him and knocked the knife out of his hand.

Taehyun paused for a second, taking a few heavy breaths before he lunged forward and grabbed the knife, holding it high above his head threateningly.

Jaebum grinned at the sight, making no move to throw the boy off.

“You're no different than me…” He whispered. “We're both just psychos trying to kill each other…”

“Not trying to kill you…” Taehyun said, shaking his head wearily. “Just making sure you can't hurt us anymore…”

“Even if it means killing me?” Jaebum asked, grinning.

Taehyun shook his head again in frustration.

“I won't kill you. But I can't promise that you'll be unharmed…”

Jaebum sighed and rolled his eyes once more, seemingly bored of the entire situation.

His expression went back to the murderous rage from before and he growled angrily.

“You're all so insufferable.” He said, and with that he gripped Taehyun's injured shoulder and forcefully pushed him off.

Taehyun hissed at the sharp pain shooting through his arm as he fell to the floor, watching in defeat as Jaebum disappeared off into some dark area of the house.

At least, he thought it was dark.

He was pretty sure the light had been shut off again at some point but he couldn't be sure.

The adrenaline was wearing off fast and Taehyun struggled to stay focused.

He almost didn't notice his friends coming to crowd around him once more.

“Taehyun…” Yeonjun muttered, his hand hovering over his bloody shoulder.

Taehyun blinked slowly, pushing himself into a sitting position when he noticed Yeonjun's yellow hair was streaked red.

Kai and Beomgyu had also been slightly banged up, bleeding from several cuts on their faces and arms.

He noticed Beomgyu was wincing whenever he moved his right hand. He guessed the boy had twisted his wrist somehow in the fall.

“Are you guys ok?” He asked, trying to ignore how his words slurred together.

The blood loss was catching up to him fast and Taehyun was trying his best to ward off the fuzziness.

“We're fine Taehyunnie, don't worry about us…” Yeonjun said.

It looked like they wanted to say something about his injury, but decided against it. Taehyun didn't mind. Of course, there was nothing that could be done about it at this point.

“Where did he go?” Beomgyu whispered, glancing around.

Taehyun shrugged then winced when his shoulder reminded him that he probably shouldn't do that right now.

“I don't know… He just ran off.”

Before they could start searching for him again, they heard a chilling laugh from the kitchen.

Taehyun glanced up from his place on the floor, as light flooded the kitchen and Jaebum came into view.

He had a soft smile on his face, looking almost at peace somehow.

But Taehyun could see that wasn't the case. The look in his eyes was still troubled.

Sorrow, anger, confusion.

Around his head, hovered several knives, shards of glass and wood. Basically anything and everything sharp was being suspended in the air with telekinesis.

Jaebum sighed as he made eye contact with each and every one of the boys.

“Time to finish this…” He said, his tone emotionless.

A beat of silence and Jaebum grinned widely.

Throwing a hand forward, he released the magic and watched as the deadly objects went flying towards the boys.

Taehyun blinked as the knives and glass shards glinted murderously in the light, moving as if slow motion.

Taehyun sighed.

Then closed his eyes.

And waited patiently for the inevitable.

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_ Cuz you don't understand me... _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW I don't wanna get ahead of myself but I think that might be my worst cliffhanger yet... And by worst I mean best🙃😅🤣  
> The possession stuff was confusing and I tried my best to explain it. Hope it wasn't too confusing😣  
> The last two chapters should be up within the week. But plz don't hold me to that cuz I'm not good at deadlines😅  
> But regardless of when it's up, both are going up on the same day since ch 10 is the official last chapter and 11 is just an epilogue  
> BUT ANYWAYS  
> Plz look forward to the ending!😊  
> Hopefully I'll see y'all real soon!💕


	10. One Last Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMGGG I know y’all are just as excited as me for this, so all I’m gonna say is I HOPE YOU LOVE IT!

_Make the resentment stop please…_

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Of all the things Taehyun had figured out during the entire mess they were in, he knew there was probably at least _one_ thing he had overlooked.

He was expecting it to hit him at any moment ever since he'd gone back home with his terrible headache.

But no sudden realizations came to him and so he thought he must have been mistaken. There was nothing else to decipher, no missing detail to notice.

But as he sat there in the middle of Jaebum's living room, eyes closed, fully expecting to die a painful death at any second, something unexpected happened, making the realization crash into his mind suddenly.

A shockwave of magic suddenly exploded throughout the entire house, throwing Taehyun backwards, his head hitting a wall as the entire house shook from the impact.

Magic shockwaves took a long time to master and could have been super helpful in this situation, but Taehyun knew for a fact that none of them knew how to do that.

As he ducked, throwing his good arm over his head, protecting it from the falling debris, he finally realized something that was super obvious if he thought about it.

Iris was no ordinary cat, of course.

Taehyun had caught on to that much already.

The way she would stare intently at every new person she met, analyzing their every action.

The way she seemed to understand their entire situation even before they themselves had figured it out.

The way she had taken the initiative to go find Soobin and deliver his message.

Taehyun had noticed all this, but somehow in all the confusion, he hadn't managed to connect the dots and come to the conclusion that Iris was not a cat, but a magical creature.

His mind immediately jumped to the countless amazing creatures they would encounter on their trips to the magic island. They hadn't been there for some time and Taehyun guessed that was probably why he couldn't pinpoint it from the beginning.

But it was obvious now, and he realized it always had been.

As the debris slowly settled down, Taehyun cautiously opened his eyes and peeked out from behind his arm. Just as he had suspected, there stood Iris in the middle of all the destruction, her eyes glowing brighter than ever before, a faint green light surrounding her.

Taehyun dropped his arm, carefully pushing the fallen pieces of debris away from him. Iris turned at the noise, turning her glowing eyes to stare at Taehyun.

Her fierce expression dropped for a second, giving way to obvious guilt as she trotted over to him.

Taehyun absentmindedly patted the cat's head, as he stared around at all the debris covering the main floor. The ceiling had mostly been destroyed, so if he tilted his head, he could see some of the bedrooms upstairs.

“You didn't mean to, Iris…” Taehyun muttered as the cat meowed sadly. “You were just trying to protect us.”

A small groan and the sound of debris shifting shook Taehyun out of his trance, making him glance to his right, where Kai was struggling to get out from under the broken pieces.

He immediately pushed against the debris with his good arm, trying his best to help free his friend.

“Hyung… You good?” Kai asked, stumbling to his feet and helping Taehyun up.

Taehyun nodded wordlessly as they began carefully searching for their other two friends. 

It wasn't too hard to find Yeonjun and Beomgyu. Both had ended up together near the stairs, where it was mostly clear of debris.

None of them seemed to have suffered any major injuries following the explosion.

Once they were all together again, they stood in silence for a few seconds, still a bit shocked by the turn of events.

“Was that….” Yeonjun glanced at the cat and then at Taehyun.

Taehyun nodded, confirming the statement.

“That's crazy…” Kai muttered.

“Guys…” Beomgyu whispered, glancing around nervously. “Where's… Jaebum?”

“You don't think he…?” Yeonjun glanced at Taehyun questioningly.

Taehyun shrugged unsure. It was possible that the impact could've killed the boy, especially considering the fact that the shockwave had been intended for him. But there was also the fact that Iris probably wouldn't want to kill her owner.

Still, Taehyun was getting a bad feeling as they began their slow advance towards the kitchen where they last saw Jaebum.

Sometimes, Taehyun really didn't like how smart he was. He hated the fact that every one of his predictions often came true, even the terrible ones.

His prediction that the Realm existed had come true.

His prediction that the car accident never happened had come true.

His prediction that Jaebum had possessed him had come true.

And now…

His prediction that something bad had happened to Jaebum…

Had come true…

His eyes widened in disbelief when they finally caught sight of Jaebum lying sprawled on the kitchen floor, surrounded by his own blood.

Taehyun gasped, immediately falling to his knees beside the older boy.

Blood was slowly dripping from several deep gashes in his body as well as from his head. Taehyun noticed that most of the sharp glass shards that were meant for them had ended up embedded in Jaebum's skin.

The boy was staring blankly at the ceiling and despite seeing the slow rise and fall of his chest, Taehyun worried that he might be dead.

“Oh my God, Jaebum…”

Not knowing what else to do, Taehyun moved forward and began putting pressure on the older boy's wounds. His hands were shaking so badly and he sighed in relief when the other three joined him in trying to make the bleeding stop.

Jaebum winced, the pain shaking him out of his trance. He stared at the boys wearily for a few seconds, before weakly pushing their hands away.

“Stop that…” He whispered, his voice barely there.

Taehyun didn't respond, just shook his head frantically, continuing to try and help the bleeding boy.

“Leave me alone…” He said, some of the previous anger in his tone. He frowned in annoyance, obviously trying to intimidate them again, but ended up wincing in pain once more.

“Why don't you just let me die…?” He asked, irritated.

“I can't…” Taehyun responded, trying to keep his voice and hands steady.

“Oh yeah… You need me, don't you?” Jaebum muttered. “That's why you're tryna keep me alive? Fine, I'll open the Realm with you… Then leave me alone…”

Taehyun really couldn't help the tears that escaped him at that moment. Jaebum's anger had all but vanished, replaced with a calm acceptance that there was no reason for him to live. That there was no point trying to find solace in tearing the boys apart further. He really had lost all purpose to live.

“That's not the only reason we want you to live…” Taehyun said, desperately trying to convince the boy. “You were wrong when you said no one cares for you, because _we_ do, Hyung. All five of us. We were so broken when you stopped talking to us.”

Although the other boys were at a loss for words, Taehyun was glad when he saw them nodding solemnly in agreement to his statement. They all looked near tears. They never wanted anyone to die, they just wanted to understand and fix things.

“Me and Soobin were so happy when you came back to us….” Taehyun continued, tears falling freely. “We were so happy that you trusted us with small things like keeping your cat and whatnot.”

Taehyun paused trying to get his crying under control. But he had wanted to cry for so long by now. Everything was finally hitting him. So much had happened. One Hyung was lost, one Hyung was dying and Taehyun just couldn't keep it together anymore.

He vaguely registered Kai wrapping his arms around him, careful to avoid his injured shoulder. His other two Hyungs were also crying from what he could tell and also put comforting hands on his back.

“I felt like…” Taehyun continued, his voice a whisper. “I felt like Yugyeom was the luckiest kid around because he had you as an older brother…”

Jaebum laughed quietly, a sad sounding thing and the first sound he'd made since Taehyun had started talking. He shook his head slowly, his own eyes misty as he stared at the crying boy in front of him.

“All that doesn't matter anymore…” Jaebum whispered. “I'm dying anyways… There's nothing you can do to help me…”

Taehyun shook his head helplessly. He refused to believe that after everything, Jaebum was just going to die.

“Your wounds aren't that bad, Hyung.” He tried to reason. “If we take care of them right away, you can still live.”

Jaebum shook his head again, a sad expression settling on his face.

“It's not just about the wounds. I've been well on my way to death for some time… Haven't you noticed?” 

Jaebum lifted a shaking hand to point at his eyes. Taehyun's heart dropped when he finally noticed without a doubt, that his eyes were definitely black. And what's more, it seemed like the color was bleeding into the whites of his eyes.

“They're black…” Jaebum whispered, fixing his hopeless gaze on Taehyun.

There was no doubt about it. The dark magic was killing him from the inside.

“There must be a way to undo this…” Taehyun said, full on sobbing at this point.

“There isn't…” Jaebum sighed. “Dark magic is like that. There's no going back once you've come far enough…”

Jaebum paused, closing his eyes and sighing. It was obvious that he was trying to stay awake long enough to finish what he had to say and then help the boys. The boys stared helplessly as there was nothing they could do.

“There's… A lot of things I regret…” Jaebum continued. “A lot of things I shouldn't have done. Most things don't come with an undo button, but… There's one thing that does. I think…”

He opened his eyes and locked his gaze onto Taehyun's, his expression changing into one of determination.

“I think… We should undo my mistake together, Tae…”

He slowly reached a hand out to Taehyun, watching him carefully.

“Help me up…?”

Taehyun nodded wordlessly, not able to speak through his tears. He stumbled to his feet, barely registering the others standing beside him and steadying him. 

Taehyun slowly reached out, clasping their hands together. He stared at their joined hands for a few seconds, not able to believe that this would be the last time he'd ever hold his Hyung’s hand.

Then he pulled carefully, watching as the older boy slowly stood, wincing all the while.

Jaebum leaned heavily against the wall, closing his eyes once more.

“Close your eyes…” He muttered. “All of you…”

Everyone obediently closed their eyes, waiting for the two to finally free their missing friend.

“ _Enter clade, enter malum…”_ Taehyun muttered.

And after a pause…

“ _Liberabo te captivum…”_

The sound of harsh wind suddenly rushed past everyone's ears, before an actual gust came rushing past them quite forcefully.

Taehyun kept his eyes glued shut, despite wanting to open them and see what Jaebum's incantation had caused.

The harsh wind was soon accompanied by a blinding light so bright that Taehyun could register it even with his eyes closed.

It was all so intriguing but Taehyun was nothing if not patient.

He had already waited for what felt like years.

He could wait a little longer for his Hyung to come back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are you sure this is really happening, Yugyeom?” Soobin asked, as he stared up at Jaebum's house nervously.

All the windows were shattered and Soobin could see it was dark inside. He was very curious to know how that had happened.

He was sure Iris, who had found them a few minutes ago, probably knew but she hadn't said anything about that. All she'd said was that Taehyun and Jaebum were finally getting Soobin out.

Soobin was more than a little shocked when they had found out the extent to how crazy things had gotten when he was in the Realm. According to Iris, apparently Jaebum had possessed Taehyun through her and now they both had to work together to get him out.

It was all really confusing but Iris refused them the details. He decided it was probably for the best since both he and Yugyeom were too shocked and uncomfortable to talk about why Jaebum would do something like that.

Iris had then proceeded to complain about how no one had noticed she'd left to find the two of them. Soobin thought there must be something she was hiding because every time Yugyeom asked what was happening, she'd always dodge the question and continue to complain.

Soobin thought it quite impressive that Yugyeom could understand the cat and keep up a running translation for Soobin. He'd tried to get Yugyeom to teach him how to speak to animals but Yugyeom had just laughed and said it wasn't a learned skill. Once you spent enough time with animals, the skill would come naturally. And so Soobin had quit asking, deciding to focus on the bigger issue.

When Soobin had heard that he'd be getting out, at first he'd been ecstatic. But as they had walked to Jaebum's house, his feelings began to shift. Spending time with Yugyeom had apparently made him realize just how much he had missed the boy.

Soobin was quite confused at his mixed emotions, but there was no denying the hesitance he was feeling.

Yugyeom glanced up at him suddenly, smiling and nodding to answer the boy's question.

“Of course, I'm sure. Why? Can't believe it?” He asked.

Soobin shrugged half-heartedly, looking away as his heart sank further at Yugyeom's smile.

Yugyeom's expression dropped, noticing Soobin’s strange behavior.

“Hey, what's wrong, kiddo?” Yugyeom said, softly, taking a hesitance step forward.

“Nothing…” Soobin sighed.

“Come on… You can tell me…”

Soobin glanced up at him and sighed.

“I just…” His voice cracked, and he had to drop his gaze once more.

“I'm just… I'm gonna miss you so much…”

In the short time he'd spent with the boy, Yugyeom had told him a bunch of rules about the Dream Realm. One rule especially caught his attention. When he'd asked why the Realm was considered a myth, Yugyeom had told him it was because the Realm would wipe everyone's memories. He then went on to explain that since his circumstances were different, he'd be able to remember everything. Soobin thought that was kinda cool in the beginning, but he soon began to realize that would mean he'd only miss the boy more than he already did, always knowing that he was probably out there somewhere, just out of reach.

He didn't expect the boy to start smiling once more at the words, but that's what he was met with when he looked back up.

“It's been two years, Binnie. You'll be fine.”

“I won't.” Soobin insisted, shaking his head.

“Why the sudden love? You didn't miss me all this time?” He asked, grinning.

“I- of course I did! It's just… It's different now…”

“Different how? I'm still dead, you're still alive. Nothing’s really changed if you think about it…” 

His tone still hadn't lost the slight teasing tone and Soobin was getting confused.

“How- how can you joke about this?” He muttered.

Yugyeom's smile softened slightly as he came forward and put his hands on the boy's shoulders.

“Because Binnie… There's one rule I forgot to mention to you…”

“R-really?” Soobin asked, glancing up, hardly daring to believe.

“Aside from being able to remember the Realm… You'll also be able to continue interacting with it for as long as you live to an extent. You will always be able to see me and talk to me. We won't be able to touch…” Yugyeom said, moving his hands away from his shoulders. “But you won't have to worry about missing me.”

He smiled brightly once more and Soobin couldn't help smiling back, relief filling his heart.

“So things won't go back to normal? I mean, they will, kinda but I'll be able to talk to you?” Soobin asked, tripping over his words in his excitement.

“Yup.” Yugyeom replied, nodding as he laughed.

“We just won't be able to touch?”

“Yes, unless…” Yugyeom trailed off suddenly, his expression shifting.

“Unless what?” Soobin asked, frowning in confusion.

“Shh, wait…” Yugyeom muttered, his gaze on the floor. “Do you hear that?”

Soobin tilted his head, listening carefully. He could only hear the faint whistle of the night air rushing through the trees. As he listened he noticed the sound of the wind was slowly getting louder.

Iris meowed loudly suddenly, staring up at the two.

“Close your eyes, Soobin.” Yugyeom ordered suddenly.

Soobin immediately obeyed, having never heard the boy so serious before. A sharp gust of air suddenly pushed against them and Yugyeom grabbed Soobin's hand to stop him from falling.

Soobin kept his eyes shut, gasping in surprise when a bright light shone on his eyelids.

What was happening?

Was it what he thought it was?

The wind was so strong that it ripped Soobin's hand away from Yugyeom's, causing him to stumble forward and fall to his knees.

He blindly tried to grasp Yugyeom's hand again but all he felt was a cold gust of wind.

_A cold gust of wind?_

That's when Soobin realized that the biting cold of the Realm had disappeared suddenly. The world didn't seem so silent anymore either. It shocked Soobin so much when he realized he had gotten quite used to these things in such a short amount of time.

That meant he was out! He was back in the real world?

He must be, but that also meant….

“Soobin you can open your eyes now!” Yugyeom said.

Soobin slowly opened his eyes, immediately seeking out his friend. Yugyeom stood a few steps away from him, a soft smile on his face.

He still looked like a normal person who was alive and healthy, but Soobin noticed the faint shimmering blue light around the boy's figure. 

But besides that, he looked so real that Soobin felt he could reach out and touch him.

But deep down, he knew he couldn't.

That didn't stop him from trying though, as he reached a hesitant hand forward.

Yugyeom smiled sadly, shaking his head, but reached his hand out anyway.

Soobin sighed when his hand went through him, leaving a cold breeze in its wake.

No matter how many times you went through it, not being able to feel the comforting touch of a friend never got old.

But Soobin smiled, knowing that this time Yugyeom could see and hear him, and so could his other friends.

Soobin's eyes widened. _His other friends._

Yugyeom immediately noticed the change in Soobin's expression and he smiled and moved back, gesturing for him to go on.

“Go ahead…” He said simply, not seeing the need for anymore words.

Soobin stood slowly, hesitant to leave the boy but also eager to see his other friends.

There had been something Yugyeom was going to tell him before the wind, but the thought was driven from his head.

He'd ask him about it another time, but for now he sent one last smile in Yugyeom's direction and turned to the house.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly walked to the front door and held the doorknob.

Glancing down, he noticed the way Iris was pawing at the door, also eager to step inside.

Soobin allowed himself the first genuine smile he'd had in some time and slowly opened the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yeonjun didn't know how he expected to get Soobin back. 

Maybe he'd just materialize in front of them?

Maybe he'd walk out of the shining light like an angel?

Whatever it was he'd been expecting, he definitely didn't expect the boy to just walk in through the front door.

But there was no denying that it was him, the tall frame that seemed so small at the moment, the disheveled purple hair, the wide innocent eyes, staring at the four of them in just as much shock as they were in.

Soobin stopped just a few paces inside, clearly trying to take in all the destruction and the fact that _this was real_ , he was really back.

They stood in silence for a few seconds, both parties staring at each other in shock.

And then came the hug attack.

Yeonjun got there first, tears flowing down his cheeks as he hugged the boy fiercely.

“Binnie, you're really- you're really here? It's not a dream?” He whispered harshly.

Soobin shook his head, hugging him back.

“No, Hyung, it's not…”

Soobin had no idea how long they stood there at the entrance of the house, hugging and crying and just staring at times.

But eventually he noticed Jaebum quietly watching them as he stood leaning against the wall. He had a soft smile on his face and it was at that moment that Soobin realized that each and everyone of the people were injured in some way.

Jaebum seemed to have gotten the worst of it, his entire body covered in blood and after that it was Taehyun, who had a deep gash in his shoulder.

Soobin stared in shock. What had happened here? Is this what Iris had been trying to hide from them?

Soobin had no time to think about that as he suddenly noticed Jaebum collapse painfully against the wall.

“Oh my God, what happened to him…?” Soobin muttered, turning everyone's attention to Jaebum. 

He slowly walked towards the bleeding boy, barely registering the others quietly following him.

Soobin knelt in front of the older boy, noticing the way he followed his every move with his eyes.

He looked absolutely terrible and not just because of the injuries. There was an obvious regret deep in his eyes. His eyes that were pitch black.

Soobin knew what that meant and he had of course suspected it when he found out about the possession.

He sighed softly, as he stared down at the boy who he'd been friends with since that fateful day in 2014.

The boy who would always cheer them on with his little brother no matter what.

The boy who loved so dearly that he couldn't stand being without his brother.

Was this all that he was reduced to?

A bleeding, dying, guilt ridden boy?

“Hey Soobin…” Jaebum finally whispered, looking away.

“Hey Hyung…” Soobin replied softly.

“I'm so sorry…” Jaebum muttered. “It was never meant to happen like this. I never meant any of this… I thought I'd finally be at peace if I got some sort of revenge… I was wrong though…”

Soobin sighed, feeling sorry for the boy who couldn't find peace even until the very end. Did he really feel that helpless, that lonely, that vengeful, that he never found peace again?

“I forgive you…” Soobin whispered, not knowing what else to say.

How could he hold the older boy accountable for this when he was dying in front of him and the first words he'd said to him was to apologize? 

Soobin didn't have it in him, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious and confused.

And so he frowned and lifted his questioning eyes to Jaebum's.

“But… Why did you do it, Hyung?” He asked.

Jaebum sighed, closing his eyes and falling silent for a few seconds.

“I was jealous of your success in the Olympics…” Jaebum said simply.

Soobin hummed quietly, thinking it made a little sense, but he didn't think that was everything.

“Is that all?” He asked gently.

He didn't expect the boy to start crying at the simple question. 

But that's exactly what happened as Jaebum opened his eyes and stared at him sorrowfully.

He didn't speak for a long time, just let the silent tears fall as he continued to stare at the five boys in the room.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and trembling, but forceful as if he absolutely _had_ to get these words out before the end.

“I just…” He whispered. “I just wish I could see him one last time…”

Soobin's heart sank, as he realized exactly who the older boy was talking about. He sat back with a heavy sigh, unable to believe that they wouldn't be able to give Jaebum his dying wish.

Because there was no way anyone could see someone who had died.

But he could…

So maybe there was a way?

Soobin frowned as the thought settled in his mind. Now that the thought was there, he _had_ to try.

“Maybe there is a way…” Soobin muttered, as he slowly got to his feet.

He turned with the Intention to go get Yugyeom from outside and maybe ask him if it was possible.

But when he turned, he saw the boy already standing at the front door, watching the scene with tears in his eyes.

When Soobin made eye contact with the boy, he smiled sadly and simply nodded, indicating that there _was_ indeed a way.

He stepped forward until he was right in front of Soobin. The others seemed confused as to what Soobin was staring at but had enough sense to wait it out.

“Repeat after me…” Yugyeom whispered.

Soobin nodded and waited for the older boy to tell him the incantations.

“ _Novissima hora est…”_ Yugyeom said, waiting for Soobin to repeat it.

“ _Et mihi videre…”_ Yugyeom finished.

Once Soobin had said the incantations, Yugyeom reached a hand out and Soobin hesitantly reached out to hold it.

He smiled when it worked and the shimmering blue light slowly vanished.

For Soobin that was the only difference, but he could tell the others were probably shook at how the boy had seemingly materialized in front of them, if the small gasps were anything to go off of.

Soobin and Yugyeom turned slowly to face Jaebum who was staring at his brother in shock.

The shock quickly melted off his face though, replaced by a resigned sadness, as he shook his head slowly.

“You're not real…” He muttered. “You're just another hallucination. You'll just disappear when I try to touch you.”

Yugyeom didn't say a word, just crept forward and knelt in front of his brother, holding his hand out.

Jaebum looked up and stared at Yugyeom with a strange expression on his face. A mix of doubt and hope, both trying to win out and overpower the other.

But in the end, he hesitantly reached out his hand, dissolving into tears once more when the boy didn't disappear like he was expecting.

“You're real- You're here-” Jaebum sobbed, locking his gaze onto Yugyeom's.

“I love you so much, you know that?” Jaebum continued, desperately clutching the boy's hand. “I never got a chance to tell you, I love you so much, Gyeomie, I couldn't tell you before-”

“Shh, it's ok, Hyung…” Yugyeom whispered, comfortingly. “You don't have to say it, there was never any doubt in my mind. You showed me how much you loved me everyday of my life. I love you too, Hyung.”

Jaebum shook his head, not able to speak through his tears.

“I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry…” He whispered finally.

“Everyone… I'm so sorry, I never meant any of this, I hope you can all forgive me.”

He looked pleadingly at everyone in the room. No words were spoken, but everyone smiled softly at him and nodded at the countless apologies flooding out of the boy's mouth.

Jaebum sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes.

“Don't ever let anyone tear you guys apart, ok?” He whispered weakly. “I'm sorry once again…”

“Please stop apologizing…” Taehyun said finally. “You're forgiven. We just hope you're at peace now… That you're finally ok…”

Jaebum smiled softly, no sadness remaining this time.

“Never thought I'd say this, but… I think so… I think I'm ok…” He whispered. “Goodbye everyone…”

And with that, the boy closed his eyes again, the soft smile remaining even when his breathing slowly but surely, stopped.

Everyone was already crying at this point, but the wave of tears was renewed at the sight of Yugyeom staring at his brother with an identical smile on his face.

Yugyeom turned slowly and sighed, rising to his feet and staring at the floor.

He kept his gaze on the ground for a few seconds before finally looking up and smiling sadly.

“I should probably meet him on the other side…” He said simply.

“Will we ever see you again?” Taehyun asked softly.

Yugyeom smiled, glancing at Soobin momentarily before looking back at everyone else.

“Who knows? Maybe you'll see the two of us more in the future.” He said. “I sincerely hope to see you guys again one day in better circumstances.”

And with that, Yugyeom snapped his fingers and the blue light surrounded him once more.

“He's gone…” Beomgyu muttered.

“Not really.” Soobin said, sharing a secret smile with the boy. “Not completely at least.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The rest of the night was a blur, seemingly passing in just a couple seconds, but Taehyun knew it had been hours since Stray Kids had come to get them.

The sun was slowly rising at this point, splashing the sky with bright pink orange streaks.

He had trouble believing that everything had happened in just one night, but Jeongin explained that life often felt that way.

Sometimes years passed in seconds and seconds passed in years, he explained as he tended to the boy's wounds.

Taehyun wasn't surprised when Jeongin told him he'd suffered a severe concussion as well as a few of his other friends.

Soobin was the least physically affected but Taehyun could tell it would take him some time to get back to normal mentally. That was true for all of them, but he noticed Soobin was more clingy than usual, almost always hanging onto someone's arm.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, Chan had ordered them all to bed, but Taehyun found that he really couldn't fall asleep.

He didn't want to bother anyone, but he didn't want to be alone either.

He thought Soobin would probably be awake right now. He often had trouble sleeping, not wanting to leave anyone out of his sight for long.

And so he got out of bed as quietly as he could, making his way to the room Yeonjun was sleeping in, knowing that Soobin was probably in there with him.

He quietly eased the door open, frowning in confusion when he found that only Yeonjun was occupying the bed, sleeping peacefully.

He sighed and decided to take a walk outside by himself. He really didn't want to bother anyone at this point.

And so he walked outside, walking the short distance to the park right in front of Chan's house.

He was surprised to see Soobin already there, staring off into space with his arms crossed.

He often did that these days, staring off aimlessly, eyes fixated on something the rest of them couldn't see.

He quietly crept up to the boy and stood beside him, staring in the same direction as him, finding that all he could see was an empty bench.

“Hey Tae.” Soobin said, turning to him and smiling.

“Hey Hyung.” Taehyun replied, smiling back.

He paused for a second, watching as Soobin resumed his staring contest with the bench.

“You can still see it right?” He asked carefully. “The Realm? And everything inside it?”

Soobin nodded wordlessly, his eyes never wavering.

“Can you see… Yugyeom and Jaebum?”

Soobin nodded, a soft smile on his face. He pointed to the bench.

“They're sitting there right now. Looks like they're having a deep conversation.”

Taehyun smiled and glanced at the bench momentarily.

“I'm glad they're together again. It sucks to be separated from someone you love.”

Soobin nodded solemnly at that as he turned his gaze to Taehyun.

“It does…” He said. “I missed you Tae. All of you…”

“Missed you too, Hyung.” Taehyun responded.

Soobin smiled widely, ruffling the boy's hair fondly, before throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“Back to bed?” He asked Taehyun.

Taehyun smiled as he nodded, opening his mouth to respond as they began to walk back.

Before he could get anything out however, they heard a loud scream from the house that was only a few paces away from them.

Soobin glanced at Taehyun in confusion as they quickened their pace.

“That was Beomgyu right?”

Before Taehyun could respond however, Beomgyu came running outside, an annoyed Iris held in his arms.

“Beomie, what's wrong?” Soobin asked, worriedly

Beomgyu pouted and pointed back towards the house.

“Kai is trying to take Iris with him! But I already called dibs on her! She's mine, I get to be her new owner!”

Taehyun laughed and tilted his head.

“Technically I should be her new owner…” Taehyun said.

Beomgyu’s pout deepened, as he pointed an accusatory finger at Taehyun.

“Yah! Tae, I thought I could trust you!”

And with that he let out an ear piercing scream as he ran back inside.

Taehyun laughed as Soobin sighed, shaking his head.

“I'll never get used to this noise…” Soobin muttered, as they walked into the house.

Taehyun smiled, giggling as he looked up at his Hyung.

“Well, get used to it, Hyung. Cuz we're sticking together forever now.”

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_Take my hand once more…_

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy ending🥺😭💕
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


	11. Epilogue ~ Together Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue 😌

_At the end of the world…_

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

_Year 2021_

_A year after the night the world burned down…_

Taehyun flinched as his phone buzzed, tearing his attention away from the mirror in front of him.

He glanced down at his phone and blinked, confused.

Had he spaced out again?

He sighed and shook his head, coming to the conclusion that that's what probably happened.

Although the amount of times had decreased significantly, it was still a little annoying whenever he caught himself spacing out while staring at his reflection.

There were times in the past when he could've sworn he'd seen his eyes changed color but that didn't happen anymore, and Taehyun was rather glad at how his mental health was improving.

He shuddered slightly remembering the first time something like that had happened, just a week after everything had gone down.

The five boys had been planning an outing for their last day together and Taehyun had stood in front of the mirror to fix his hair, only for his eyes to change color before him.

In hindsight, when he was thinking logically, he reasoned that it was a trick of the light or even just his mind acting up so soon after the incident.

But at the time, he'd screamed and thrown his comb at the mirror with such force that it had broken.

Soobin, who had come to pick him up, found him curled up and crying in the living room.

He'd told him what had happened, trying not to sound crazy but he worried he might have gone a little insane.

“It was- the mirror, Hyung... If it's broken, nothing like that will happen again… I just- I just don't want us to be torn apart again. Sometimes I feel like I'm trapped in a dream, Hyung…”

Soobin had sighed and hugged the boy tight, whispering comforting words to him until he'd calmed down.

Then he said something that Taehyun remembered for a long time after that.

“Oh Tae…” He said, carefully gripping his shoulders, one of which had still been healing at the time.

He stared into his eyes thoughtfully for a bit before finally speaking.

“It doesn't matter if the mirror is broken or not. Because as we've already seen, our friendship is eternal. And even if it feels like a dream sometimes, just remember that it's an eternal one.”

And that's what Taehyun had been telling himself ever since.

He'd never had a terrible episode like that again, but he would end up freaking out upon seeing his own reflection for some time.

Thankfully, one of his friends was almost always around to help him.

It had been a year and while Taehyun had basically recovered, he did end up spacing out in front of the mirror every few weeks.

Another buzz from his phone shook him from his thoughts he sighed, grabbing it.

  
  


**Binnie Hyung:** yo, don't forget our plans for today. Yo u there? Helloooooo

  
  


Taehyun smiled as he read the texts, a small giggle escaping him at his Hyung's impatience.

  
  


**Me:** yes I'm here, Hyung. No I didn't forget. I'm picking Beom and Kai up right?

**Binnie Hyung:** yup. Jun Hyung is coming w me

**Me:** aight then I'll see y'all soon

  
  


Taehyun put his phone down, then sighed and faced his reflection once more.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Soobin sighed as he put his phone down and stared at his empty house.

He often had trouble believing it was completely burned down once, but he knew that entire night hadn't been a dream.

Stray Kids had come and helped with the repairs using their magic but if Soobin focused, he could sometimes still see that night of destruction playing in his mind.

He tried not to think about it too often, but after everything he really didn't like being alone.

He was constantly worried that if his friends weren't in his sight, they'd somehow vanish.

He often wished they could all live together but he wasn't sure how likely that was.

Whenever they did get together, Soobin was almost always clinging to someone and he often wondered if he was being annoying. His friends assured him that he wasn't, but it was a little hard for him to believe in the beginning.

Still, it had been a year and Soobin was doing much better.

He just felt a little lonely sometimes.

But he smiled, remembering that he'd see all of his friends again today.

Grabbing his phone once more, he sent a text out to Yeonjun.

  
  


**Me:** when r u getting here again?

**Junnie Hyung:** abt half an hour?

**Me:** aight see u then

  
  


With that, Soobin put down his phone and closed his eyes, deciding a little nap before Yeonjun arrived couldn't hurt.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yeonjun swiped out of his conversation with Soobin and instead started a new conversation with an old friend he was supposed to meet before going to Soobin's.

  
  


**Me:** hey u at the park?

  
  


Yeonjun sat on the park bench waiting for a reply when he suddenly felt two hands grab his shoulders quite harshly.

He jumped, a small gasp leaving him, before a familiar screeching laugh hit his ears.

“Ah, Wooyoungie!” Yeonjun said in annoyance, though a smile was on his face as he turned to face his friend.

“Yeonjunnie, get in here!” Wooyoung said, smiling widely as he opened his arms for a hug.

Yeonjun stood and circled around the bench, attacking his friend with a hug.

The two had been friends since 2016 when Wooyoung’s team, ATEEZ, had won the Olympics. They'd been friends for two years before Yeonjun had to move to America.

Since last year's incident, Yeonjun, Beomgyu and Kai had moved back to Seoul and were currently living in an apartment together.

“So, Junnie…” Wooyoung said, letting go of him and throwing an arm around his shoulder as they both sat down on the bench. “Tell me. How'd you convince your mom to let you move back?”

“Ah well…” Yeonjun said, grinning. “We had a long talk, both of us yelled quite a bit, but in the end she let me go. She said she understood that I'm an adult now and that I should be able to make my own decisions. She said she's just worried that I won't visit her. I promised her that nothing could stop me from visiting her. It was super emotional and stuff but I'm glad we talked it out.”

“I'm glad you did too. I get to see my best friend more often now.” Wooyoung said, smiling. “You and the other two live together right? Beomgyu and Kai and you?”

Yeonjun nodded, confirming his statement.

“Yup. Once we get enough money, we might get our own places, or even just live all together in one big house.”

“That sounds fun. Me and the guys already do that. And I'm sure half the time, all of Stray Kids just crash at Chan's house.”

“Oh right, speaking of Stray Kids…” Yeonjun said. “It's Changbin’s birthday today. Did you know? Me and the guys are gonna go wish him. Y'all should come too!”

“Ah, I wish we could…” Wooyoung said, sighing. “But the Olympics are coming up and Hongjoong is really cracking down on the magic prep these days.”

“Ah, I see. Well at least he's focused.” Yeonjun said, laughing.

“Speaking of which, you guys should participate again this year.” Wooyoung said. “We'd be happy to hand over the trophy to you guys this once.”

Yeonjun giggled a little at the comment before humming thoughtfully.

“We'll think about it. But regardless of whether or not we participate, we'll definitely keep an eye on you guys.”

The two boys dissolved into random conversations about the strangest topics for the rest of their time together.

Yeonjun had a blast, catching up with Wooyoung and he was sad when he had to get going.

But this time, the sadness wasn't as deep. He lived here now, and he could see all his friends whenever he wanted.

The sadness vanished as quickly as it had come, and Yeonjun decided he couldn't be happier with how his life had changed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh my God, what time is it!?” 

“I don't know Hyung, but Taehyun should be here any minute!

“Kai, where did you put my shoes?!”

“I didn't put them anymore! Why don't you tell me where you put my hoodie?!”

Beomgyu groaned in frustration as he tore open his closet to find his shoes only to be met with Kai's hoodie that he kept going on about.

“Here take this!” Beomgyu said, grabbing the hoodie and tossing it to Kai.

It ended up hitting his face, but his frown vanished immediately.

“YAY, thanks Hyung!”

Beomgyu didn't respond, just groaned again and flopped onto the bed.

“Why didn't Yeonjun Hyung wake us up too when he left?” He muttered.

The response came in the form of an unimpressed sounding meow from Iris who was walking around on Beomgyu's bed, looking like she owned it.

Beomgyu rolled his eyes and shared a look with Kai as both boys understood what the cat had said.

_He tried but y'all wanted five more minutes as usual._

Kai turned to Iris and frowned but she continued to stare with a smug expression.

“We didn't ask for your sarcasm this early in the morning, Iris.”

She stared for a few seconds before meowing once more and jumping off the bed, trotting out to the room.

_Deal with it._

Kai rolled his eyes then turned to Beomgyu.

“I'll look for your shoes, just go get that damn cat.” He said simply.

Beomgyu sighed, nodding and got off the bed, leaving the room to find Iris.

He went through the motions, searching all of Iris’s favorite hiding places.

As he did that, his mind began wandering as he thought about his strange relationship with the cat.

The eyes had always been unnerving but ever since the incident, he couldn't help remembering the moment when Taehyun's eyes had been identical to Iris's.

It was never really a huge issue but in the beginning, Beomgyu always felt really uncomfortable being alone with the cat.

He'd always worried that one day, both Yeonjun and Kai would have to go out somewhere and leave him alone with Iris, but luckily it never came to that.

Partly because, ever since the incident, Kai never left anyone by themselves. Any time Yeonjun stepped out he would stay with Beomgyu after confirming that Yeonjun was going to be with someone else.

Ever since he'd failed to get Yeonjun out of the burning house, he'd had the firm belief that no one should ever be by themselves.

“Ugh, I hate Yeonjun Hyung.” Kai said, coming up behind him and dropping his shoes on the ground beside him.

“Ah, thanks.” Beomgyu said as he picked up his shoes and carried them to the front door. “And yes, same. He really should've dragged us out of bed. He sucks.”

“Don't let him hear you say that.” A familiar voice said suddenly.

Beomgyu turned around, eyes wide when he saw Taehyun at the front door.

“Hey, how'd you get in here, Hyung? You don't have the keys!” Kai said incredulously.

Taehyun raised an eyebrow in amusement and lifted his hand.

“Magic exists, you know….”

“Oh, right….” Kai muttered, embarrassed.

“Anyways…” Taehyun said, chuckling slightly. “What's taking you guys so long?”

“I can't find that cat!” Beomgyu said, frustrated.

“Let's just leave her. Why do we take her everywhere anyways?” Kai said, moving towards the open door.

At that, Iris suddenly leaped out of her hiding spot behind the couch and stared at Kai with a betrayed expression.

Kai smiled smugly and tilted his head.

“Don't wanna get left behind, huh? Then why’d you hide?”

Iris held her head high, staring at him with a haughty expression. She meowed loudly, before strutting out the door.

Beomgyu and Kai stared at each other, wide eyed as Taehyun laughed.

“Can I assume she just cursed at you Kai?”

Kai simply shook his head, still shook as the two walked out with Taehyun.

“The disrespect. She's not getting the bed tonight.”

Taehyun and Beomgyu couldn't help but laugh at the comment, ignoring Kai's annoyed gaze as they walked to Taehyun's car.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh wow, this place is packed.” Yeonjun muttered as Soobin drove up to the bakery.

“Hmmm, we might have to park elsewhere.” Soobin said, as he searched for a parking space. “We could use a little walk, am I right?”

Yeonjun smiled at the small grin the boy shot him at his statement.

“I'm cool with that, but is _your_ lazy ass up to the task?” He teased.

“Yah!” Soobin said, laughing. “Watch it. You sure you can keep up with your short legs?”

The two threw around a few more insults, before dissolving into laughter as Soobin parked a bit away from the bakery.

“Come on, let's go…” Soobin said, as the two got out.

As the two walked on the sidewalk, side by side, Yeonjun noticed how Soobin was fiddling with his hands.

Yeonjun smiled softly, knowing that meant Soobin really wanted to cling to him but was too shy to initiate.

Yeonjun turned away and casually reached out to grab the boy's hand.

He glanced at him momentarily, grinning to see Soobin smiling at him.

No more words were exchanged as they walked hand in hand in the comfortable silence.

Yeonjun understood the boy's need for skinship. Even though a year had passed, Soobin sometimes still felt the need to touch his friends just to confirm that he still could, and that his hand wouldn't somehow go through them.

Yeonjun and the others didn't mind at all.

As far as they were concerned, they'd always be around whenever Soobin needed a comforting touch.

“Yeonjun! Soobin!” A voice called out as they walked into the bakery.

“Hey, Sana Noona!” Yeonjun said, waving happily at the woman behind the counter.

“Noona! You dyed your hair again!” Soobin said, eyes bright when he saw the orange haired woman.

“Mhmm.” Sana said, smiling. “Better than the pink?”

“I actually think both colors really suit you, Noona.” Yeonjun said, honestly.

Sana rolled her eyes, smiling.

“I know what you're up to. You want me to say the yellow looks good on you.”

Yeonjun laughed, shaking his head.

“Come on, admit it. I can totally pull yellow off, right Binnie?” He asked, turning to Soobin.

“Ya, I think so. But it wouldn't hurt to try more colors.” Soobin said, slightly teasing.

“You should've gone with purple like Soobin.” Sana said. “Or wait. Not purple. Purple is Binnie’s color. I think… Blue would look very nice on you.”

“Alright, Noona. One day, I'll try blue for you.” Yeonjun said, smiling.

“But don't worry about it too much.” Sana said. “The yellow looks good too…”

Yeonjun glanced up, a huge smile on his face.

“Hey, you finally admitted it!”

“Anyways…” Sana said, smiling as she purposely dodged the subject. “What're you boys doing here?”

Yeonjun pouted slightly, before grinning and moving on with the conversation.

“We're getting snacks for Stray Kids.”

“Ah, for Changbin’s birthday?”

“Yup.” Soobin responded. “You know what he likes, don't you?”

Sana nodded as she pointed to the oreo truffles.

“He's obsessed with those, these days.” She said.

“Ooh thanks! We'll get some of those then.” Soobin said.

And after the two of them nearly raided the entire store for half the price, they waved goodbye to Sana and left to meet everyone else.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Changbinnie!” Yeonjun squealed upon seeing the boy.

Both Yeonjun and Soobin stepped inside to attack the birthday boy with hugs and presents.

“Hey, you guys!” Changbin said happily.

“What took you guys so long?” Taehyun asked from his place on the couch.

“Ah…” Soobin said, smiling as he made his way into the kitchen.

“We brought some snacks for everyone.” He said as Changbin began peering curiously into the bags.

He gasped in surprise as he lifted the box of oreo truffles.

“No way! How'd you guys know?!”

Yeonjun laughed at how Changbin’s face lit up at the sight of his favorite snack.

“Sana Noona told us.”

Changbin fake cried as he held the box to his chest.

“Thank you, Noona.” He said tearfully, making everyone in the room laugh.

“Is everyone here?” A voice asked, suddenly.

The boys turned to see Jeongin walking down the stairs.

“Jeongin!” Beomgyu said, leaping up from the couch, a smile on his face.

“Hey, Beomie! When did you get here?”

“I've been here for like 15 minutes. Chan Hyung told me you were in the shower, but he didn't tell me you take hours.”

“Hey!” Jeongin said, pouting at the insult. “I've been told you take at least 10 minutes just staring at yourself when you take selfies.”

“Hey, that's not true!” Beomgyu protested, throwing an angry glance at his friends.

Chan laughed as he walked in from the kitchen, holding a chocolate cake in his hands.

“Don't worry, Beomie. Hyunjin is the same way.” He said, setting the cake down on the small table in the living room.

“Alright, everyone!” Seungmin said, walking into the living room with a camera in his hand.

“Who are we missing?” He muttered, quickly counting heads.

“Minho, Hyunjin, Jisung, and Felix Hyungs! Get down here or we're starting without you!”

“Yikes, gotta listen to the puppy…” Minho muttered, coming out of the kitchen.

Hyunjin came next, phone in hand and ready to take selfies with everyone.

Jisung and Felix, who had decided to raid the snacks, came rushing in at the last second.

“Alright…” Seungmin said, taking charge. “Changbin, sit in the middle, right under the banner.”

Changbin obediently sat under the Happy Birthday banner, expertly hiding the oreo truffle in his mouth, which only made his cheeks more prominent as he smiled happily.

“OK, Chan Hyung and Min Hyung, stand on either side of him.”

Chan and Minho did just that, laughing silently at the younger’s ability to take charge where pictures were involved.

Seungmin continued his organizing, until everyone was visible, then snapped the picture. He smiled down at the camera, pleased with his work.

“Seungminnie, take this.” Hyunjin said, suddenly, handing the boy his phone with a selfie stick.

“You should be in the picture too!” Minho said.

Seungmin smiled, taking the stick from Hyunjin and going to sit in front of the TXT boys, smiling widely for the camera.

“Now, it's perfect.” Changbin said, smiling.

“OK!” Seungmin said, smiling as he rose to his feet. “Let's do the cake now.”

Minho immediately went back into the kitchen and came back with a lighter.

Although a year had passed and Yeonjun was no longer deathly afraid of anything to do with flames, he was rather relieved when Taehyun gently pulled him aside, as Minho carefully lit the candles.

Yeonjun was aware they were only using the lighter because of him. He'd long since stopped using his magic to light flames and he noticed that no one would use magic flames around him since then.

He appreciated the gesture and while he wasn't terrified of the flames anymore, he still bit his lip in worry and anticipation until Changbin blew out the candles.

Taehyun patted his shoulder slightly and Yeonjun turned to smile at the boy, noticing he was a bit tense.

He frowned and followed the boy's eyes to see him staring down the knife in Changbin’s hand with barely suppressed worry.

Yeonjun sighed and returned Taehyun's favor, pulling him aside and throwing an arm around his shoulder.

There was no doubt that they were all somewhat messed up in the head since the incident, but as he smiled down at Taehyun, he knew that they would be ok as they long as they had each other to turn to.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“The ultimate betrayal…” Kai muttered as he stared at Iris who was happily purring in Minho’s arms.

Everyone laughed at the sudden comment, suddenly forgetting about the cake in their plates as they asked Kai for an explanation.

“Do you have any idea how long it took for me to get her to _look_ at me? She's barely met Min Hyung five times, and she's already allowing him to hold her?! She's a traitor.”

Chan laughed out loud, doubling over from the force of his laughter.

“Minho just makes everyone feel safe. He never has to go out of his way to earn people's trust because they just take one look at him and decide to trust him.”

“But you're the same way, Channie Hyung.” Minho said, glancing at the boy and smiling. “It's why you're our leader.”

Chan turned away, blushing in embarrassment at the sudden comment.

“Ah, thanks Min…” He muttered, barely suppressing the smile on his face.

Beomgyu groaned suddenly, sighing in frustration as he flopped onto the couch.

Everyone turned to him in confusion, but no one had to ask him why he did that, before he said it himself.

“Aren't they just like Soobin and Yeonjun, Tae?” He asked.

Taehyun laughed and nodded, throwing a glance at both parties.

“Yah! The disrespect!” Soobin said, angrily glaring at the two.

“Yeah, you guys are gonna get it when we get back home!” Yeonjun said.

But Beomgyu and Taehyun continued making fun of the two, even getting some of the Stray Kids to make fun of Minho and Chan.

“Anyways…” Jisung cut in, still laughing softly. “What're your plans for the rest of the day, you guys?”

“Ah, well…” Soobin said. “We thought we would go visit the magic island. We haven't been there in so long.”

“Oh that's cool!” Felix said.

“Well, have fun and stay safe!” Chan said.

“We will.” Yeonjun said, nodding. “Oh by the way, do you guys mind if we leave our cars here and come pick them up later tonight?”

“Not at all.” Changbin said. “Actually, what do you guys say to joining us for a sleepover tonight?”

“We’d love to!” Beomgyu said, glancing over at the others and smiling brightly when he saw the rest of them nodding.

“Alright then, it's settled.” Minho said, smiling as he let Iris go. “We'll see you guys out. You're teleporting there, right?”

“Mhmm.” Taehyun said, as the five boys stood up.

They said their goodbyes inside, despite all 13 boys coming outside to stand in the warm afternoon air.

“See you guys soon.” Chan said, smiling softly at the five.

“See you Hyung.” Yeonjun responded for the five of them.

Then he turned to his friends and joined hands with them.

Then he closed his eyes and visualized the island. He hadn't been there in years, yet surprisingly it was still clear in his mind.

With a deep breath, he teleported them back to the place where it all began.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Did you find it?” Beomgyu asked, as the five carefully walked through the forest.

It was still exactly the way they remembered it.

The soft colors.

The shimmering light.

The calm wind.

The beautiful creatures.

Iris was right at home, running around and pouncing on flowers.

She had even found a cat similar to her at some point, the only difference being the cat's white fur.

“Ah, she's found a new friend.” Kai muttered. “This is where she'll leave us. She doesn't need us anymore.”

But it was only a few minutes later, that Iris ditched the cat and came back to the others, brushing up against Kai's leg, before meowing and walking ahead, her head held high.

_Just cuz Minho is better than you, doesn't make me a traitor._

Kai smiled at the hidden meaning. Iris would bother them every once in a while, but ultimately her loyalties were with them.

“Ah, look.” Soobin said, pointing ahead. “There's the telescope.”

The boys made it to the clearing where they first won the Olympics and sat in a circle, facing each other.

They talked about the randomest things for a while, before Soobin suddenly turned and stared off into space, smiling softly.

“Soobin? What's up?”

“Oh, nothing…” Soobin said turning back to the boys, the soft smile still on his face.

“I may have invited a couple more people…”

Taehyun's eyes widened in surprise as he figured out what Soobin meant.

“No way…” He breathed, a small smile forming on his face. “Are they here right now?”

Soobin nodded, smiling as realization dawned on everyone's faces. Iris began pouncing around a seemingly empty area behind Soobin, meowing excitedly.

Soobin turned and reached out with his hand, muttering the incantations quickly and before they knew it, Yugyeom and Jaebum stood in front of them, smiling brightly.

“Oh my God, hey guys!” Taehyun said, rising to his feet.

Everyone stood around for a while, hugging and greeting each other before sitting back down.

Even though it had been some time, the seven boys fell into a comfortable conversation as if they'd known each other for years, which was true to an extent.

Soobin had worried that it might be a little awkward, but he was happy to see everyone talking happily, all thoughts of the past forgiven and forgotten.

“Damn, you know…” Beomgyu said thoughtfully. “This island… We found it years ago and back then it felt like… Home.”

“And now….” Kai continued. “It's been a couple years since we visited here last. And it still feels like home. Like nothing's changed.”

“Yup.” Taehyun said. “In that way, I'm grateful for the Olympics. If not for them, we wouldn't have been able to find this place.”

“The Olympics are an important part of your identity.” Yugyeom pointed out.

“Y'all should really think about participating again.” Jaebum said.

The boys fell silent, seriously considering their words.

“It may be a big part of our identity…” Soobin said slowly. “And so many good things like this island and our friends are a result of the Olympics… But I think ultimately we're past that.”

“We'll let ATEEZ keep first place.” Yeonjun said, smiling.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They spent what felt like hours on the island talking to Jaebum and Yugyeom, reminiscing about the past and discussing future meetings.

Despite the fact that it had already been proven time and time again, Soobin was amazed at their ability to overcome any hurdles that were thrown their way.

Sure they each had their scars but Soobin was glad that he could trust that by the end of today and the beginning of tomorrow, the five of them would be together.

Soon they had to bid farewell to Yugyeom and Jaebum, promising that they'd meet again soon. 

Then Yeonjun teleported them to Chan's house, their second home, to find that Sana had dropped by with some of her friends to wish Changbin a happy birthday.

It was a full house, but everyone couldn't be happier, talking and laughing in their friends' presence.

It was the best sort of chaos and despite all the noise and excitement, Soobin felt a calm peace settle in his heart.

By the time they all settled down enough to sit and watch a movie together, half the people had already fallen asleep, utterly exhausted by all the excitement.

As Soobin sat there and watched his friends, he couldn't help the tired smile that settled on his face.

He felt that he was finally at peace.

Even though every single one of the boys were affected in some way by the incident, they all slept peacefully that night and every night after.

<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>\<>

_Forever Together…_

_~The End~_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW I can NOT believe I managed to finish this!  
> But as unbelievable as that is, I honestly find it harder to believe that ppl actually read this and liked it😭  
> And for that I wanna thank each and every person who read, left kudos and commented. Thank you to everyone who clicked on this and gave it a chance. Without you guys, I never would've found the motivation to write this.  
> Special shout out to ChirpB who betaed the first chapter and stuck with me throughout the journey 💕  
> Another shout out to BHy3rin who always made me laugh with their long ass comments 🤣 you also motivated me a ton💕  
> Once again, thank you to all who stuck till the end. This is the first fic I managed to finish so it means a lot to me💕  
> To all those who read my other fics, I will be taking a break for a few weeks, but don't worry, I'll be back before you know it! See you all then!😊💕
> 
> Y'all can fangirl with me at...  
> Tumblr:@minisuga127  
> Twitter:@MiniSuga127
> 
> Comments motivate me!💜 thx for reading!


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